*UPDATED on March 8, 2022
Delta, CO (March 1, 2022) –During the February 28, 2022 Board of Directors Meeting, the Delta County Memorial Hospital Special District Board voted to place a 0.8% sales tax initiative on the May 2022 ballot. The initiative would take effect July 1, 2022, and includes a sunset provision ending in eight years.
“The purpose behind the sales tax increase would help make up the deficiency in revenue over expenses by an estimated 2.7 million dollars annually,“ said Matt Heyn, CEO for Delta Health. “It will also help us reinvest in our human capital resources through retention and recruitment of staff, technology and infrastructure.”
There was a lot of discussion around whether to reset the mill levy or request a sales tax increase.
“The Board took a lot of time to research the two options, and talk with community stakeholders before voting on which measure we wanted to present to the County,” stated Jean Ceriani, Delta County Memorial Hospital District Board Chair. “[The Board also] felt that including a sunset period was important because it allows the community to revisit the issue and decide if they want to continue to help fund the hospital in the future.”
The proposed 0.8% sales tax initiative to be put on the May 2022 ballot will help with the recruitment and retention of nurses and medical staff, capital improvements to existing buildings and medical technologies, and the payment of supplies and equipment related to the provision of healthcare services.
The ballot language has to be submitted to the clerk and recorder’s office by March 4, 2022, to be on the May ballot. The Board discussed on Tuesday evening February 28, 2022, how to word the ballot measure so that it is clear to the voter what the hospital is asking for.
Delta County Memorial Hospital, doing business as (dba) Delta Health, is a special district hospital with a County elected board. All County taxes the hospital receives by law must be brought to the Delta County voters for approval. The full recording of the February 28th meeting can be found at https://deltahealthco.org/board-directors/. For more information on the May election and the ballot measure, contact Julie Huffman, Delta Health Chief Legal Officer at 970.874-2245 or at [email protected].
