January 2, 2019
By Paragon News Director Paul Joseph –
After Washita County voters’ recent vote to keep the maximum county sales tax possible alive and, in essence, shutting the door for Cordell Memorial Hospital to receive part of it, the hospital is now looking at the city’s municipal sales tax.
The county is maxed out on it’s sales tax at 2% and has been, but part of it, 1.25%, was sun-setting and if citizens wouldn’t renew the tax, the county’s future looked dim. Last month, voters overwhelmingly approved the measure.
So, now the hospital is thinking about seeking financial help from the city.
Kenny Downs, the Cordell Memorial Hospital Administrator has recently approached Cordell Mayor Bob Plummer about the possibility of the city putting a sales tax increase on a future ballot to help keep the hospital open.
This week, the mayor placed the issue on the city’s agenda and approached the council for a discussion of the possibility.
City Administrator JC Moser says he believes the hospital would come and request that there be an election set to decide if Cordell residents would support raising the city’s sales tax in order to keep the hospital open.
The mayor told the council that the hospital is currently operating in the red.
Next up, will be the hospital getting on an upcoming council meeting agenda to formally make a request of the city for an election to increase the sales tax of one percent on the dollar.
Moser says the council gave the mayor a general “thumb’s up” at the meeting for having the hospital come to the council.
It’s unknown at this time when the hospital may approach the council nor is it known when a special election to raise the sales tax would be called.
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