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Residents press board for appraisal, acreage and oversight after Portage County nursing home sale; board dissolves health care committee
Summary
Public commenters asked the county to disclose the appraisal, acreage included, status of bed-license transfers and the proposed citizens oversight committee after the sale of the Portage County Health Care Center; the board voted to dissolve the Health Care Center Committee, saying the facility is no longer county-owned and beds have transferred to Anson.
Several residents used the public-comment period to press the county for information after the sale of the Portage County Health Care Center. Mary Ann Laszewski asked the board to "share the appraisal price" for the publicly owned property and to clarify how many of the 16.9 acres were included in the sale and whether wetlands or a named parking area were part of the transfer. She also asked about any probationary limitations on bed-license transfers and the status of a proposed citizens oversight committee.
During the meeting, Dan Stoltz raised legal concerns, asserting that a state statute requires a two-thirds majority to sell a major county asset and that the county cannot lawfully sell property for less than assessed value. The transcript records the assertion but does not include a specific statute citation; no corporation counsel opinion was recorded to confirm or reject the legal claim.
When supervisors debated dissolving the Health Care Center Committee, Supervisor Gifford said she opposed the sale and recommended keeping the committee to provide oversight and a public avenue to raise issues about quality of care. The chair responded to questions from Supervisor Amberley that "the sale has taken place. Money has changed hands. Real estate has been closed. Beds have been transferred to Anson," indicating the county's role in the facility had ended and that staff are assisting with administrative transition items such as leave transfers.
The board voted to dissolve the Health Care Center Committee. Several supervisors raised separate questions about whether property-tax rebates or refunds to taxpayers related to the sale had been addressed; the chair said that is a matter for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and not yet determined by the county.
The appraisal figure referenced in public comment (about $4,000,000) and the sale price cited by a commenter ($2,700,000) were presented by residents during public comment; the board did not provide or confirm an independent appraisal number in the meeting record. The transcript does record the chair's statement that the sale and bed-license transfers are complete.
