Greene County residents to vote on hospital levy

The .50-mill renewal levy generates about $1.7 million annually in revenue for Greene Memorial Hospital.

Greene County residents will vote on Issue #22 — a .50-mill renewal levy on the November 8 ballot that will be used to fund Greene Memorial Hospital.

If voters approve the levy, it will annually generate about $1.7 million in revenue, and cost property owners about $13.70 per $100,000 of appraised estimated value, according to the county auditor’s office.

The levy renewal is one of two .50-mill levies that fund hospital operations.

Greene Memorial became affiliated with Kettering Health in 2008. The hospital was previously owned by the county.

Revenue from the levies are used to cover patient care expenses, according to Rick Dodds, the Greene Memorial Hospital and Soin Medical Center president.

“Such as cardiac, stroke, emergency services and even cancer care,” he said.

A group of concerned citizens in the county are questioning the legality of the levy since the hospital is associated with Kettering Health Network.

“I’m opposed to it because the county doesn’t own the hospital,” said Bill Taylor, a county resident. “They’re not entitled to put a levy on for a hospital that they don’t own. The second reason is we’re paying money, particularly people on the western side of the county are paying for a Xenia hospital. I’m sure it provides valuable and necessary health care for some people, but why are Fairborn and Beavercreek residents paying for a hospital that they’ll never utilize?”

The Greene County Board of Commissioners’ office said the legality of the hospital levy was reviewed before it was included on the ballot.

“The county commissioners statutory counsel is the Greene county prosecutors office and we solicited them to review it and the answer is it’s completely legal for the levy to go on,” said Greene County Administrator Brandon Huddleson.

In an Oct. 19 letter to Huddleson, the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office indicated the issue centered on what authority county commissioners had to submit levy funds to Greene Memorial Hospital.

“The quick and simple answer to that question is that Chapter 140 of the Ohio Revised Code provides that a county may contract for hospital services and facilities with a nonprofit corporation,” wrote Elizabeth Ellis, the county prosecutor office’s civil division chief.

News Center 7 Reporter Gabrielle Enright contributed to this report.

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