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Mixed Response To Hospital Tax Break

    Taxpayers in the North Lake County area will see a reduction in their tax bills when they arrive in early November.  The savings come via a vote by the North Lake County Hospital District, which moved to zero out its millage for the year.
    The board, which operates to oversee setting tax rates on North Lake County property owners to fund healthcare for the poor, voted on September 9 to not collect any taxes in the coming year.  An estimated $4.8 million it currently holds will be given to clinics and hospitals as a ‘wind down’ of funding.
    Savings to taxpayers could be $100 or more per property.
    The move, applauded by some who see the tax as little more than a legislatively approved slush fund for hospitals that already make millions in profits, has been jeered by others who feel the board not only acted in bad faith, but also against its legislative requirement to help fund indigent care.
    The move was a topic at Tuesday’s meeting of the Lake County Commission, as that board may be stepping forward to find funding.
    Commission chairperson Sean Parks responded to citizen input that called the board’s move a ‘slash and burn violation of state law’ by saying the topic isn’t a dead one.
    “I’m sure we’ll be talking about our next steps,” Parks said, “Relatively soon.”