Norton County to vote on sales tax to support hospital and EMS
NORTON, Kan. (KSNW) — Voters in Norton County are deciding the value of health care in their community. On May 7, they will vote on whether to approve a one-percent sales tax hike to help fund Norton County Hospital and EMS.
If voters approve it, the extra penny of tax on each dollar of purchases would begin on Oct. 1. Three-quarters of the money raised would go to the hospital. The other one-quarter would go to EMS. The sales tax would end after 10 years.
Norton County Hospital is dealing with financial issues, including inflation and lower insurance reimbursement rates. Officials say the hospital’s average operating margin in 2021, 2022, and 2023 ranged from -15 to -20%.
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If voters do not approve the sales tax hike, hospital officials say they will be forced to make difficult decisions, beginning with service reductions, followed by staff reductions, and ultimately risking closure.
“This is a health care initiative aimed at improving health care within the County of Norton,” Kevin Faughnder, the hospital CEO, said. “When we look at the higher costs, higher operational costs, lower reimbursement rates, and just overall increases in the cost of living today, what we realized was we couldn’t do that on just seeing patients.”
The one-percent sales tax increase became the preferred option.
“The state allows us to do it, and it’s a one-time deal,” Faughnder said. “The most we can increase is one percent, and so the special election that we’re going to do in May has a sunset of 10 years. So, this is not something that is automatically going to be done through perpetuity. Rather, it’s to help us through this period that we’re facing right now.”
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If the hospital went with a mill levy increase instead of a sales tax hike, it would only affect property owners. The hospital says a sales tax increase distributes the burden more evenly across the population. Visitors to the county would also be supporting the hospital by paying sales tax with their purchases.
“I want Norton County Hospital to be the preferred provider of choice in northwest Kansas,” Faughnder said. “So, when you’ve got a problem, you know you can come to Norton County Hospital or clinic or the PT department, and we are going to help get you better.”
“This one-percent sales tax is a mechanism for us to help improve the bottom line of the hospital,” he said.
If you have questions, Faughnder said to email him at kfaughnder@ntcohosp.com. The hospital has also created a website that answers frequently asked questions.
Norton County Hospitals and Clinics have scheduled several town hall meetings about the sales tax vote:
April 18 at 6:30 at the Almena Community Building
April 22 at 6:30 at the Lenora Nex-Tech Building
April 23 at 6:30 at Norton East Campus
In order to vote in the special election, voters had to be registered to vote by April 16.
Polling sites in Norton County will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on May 7.
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