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Commissioners say county hospital debt-free, $6.3M improvement funded by rural health-care tax
Summary
Chair told the commission the county has no debt on the hospital, a $6.3 million improvement was paid from a voter-approved rural health-care sales tax, and a mid-December completion is expected for a hospital addition.
Garfield County commissioners received an update on the county hospital and the revenue source that supports it.
Chair (Speaker 1) told the commission the hospital addition is expected to be complete by mid-December and that the county carries "no debt on that hospital. None. 0." He said the county used funds from a local rural health-care sales tax to complete a $6,300,000 improvement to the facility and credited predecessors for taking ownership actions that kept Intermountain Health operating locally.
"That is a tax I can see," the chair said, explaining the rural health-care tax is attached to local sales and that tourism-related sales account for a large share of the county's sales-tax base. The chair emphasized the hospital's long-term viability depends on continued local support and the legislative attention of local representatives; he reported Senator Darren Owens agreed to sponsor needed legislation to keep the hospital operating if required.
Commissioners said they value the hospital and recognized staff for recent work; no formal budget vote or new policy action was taken during the meeting. The chair and commissioners said they will continue legislative engagement and monitor construction progress through the county's established reporting channels.
