Letter: County leaders must stop sale of health care center

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To the Editor-

Portage County officials are once again trying to sell our Portage County Health Care Center, even after voters have made it clear through two referendums that we do not want to sell.

The excuse used in last December’s resolution to sell was that the HCC has operated in the red.

Yet the county’s own audit says otherwise. The most recent audit shows that the HCC has, in fact, been balancing the budget for some time without dipping into the referendum dollars authorized by voters in 2022. There is no deficit. There is no reason to sell.

Voters have many questions that require answers, including these:

  1. How can you justify the sale of our HCC when the only reason to sell included in your resolution does not exist?

  2. If you continue in your efforts to sell, how will you return the $5.5 million–$8 million the county has collected through the 2022 referendum tax levy to the taxpayers? By law, those dollars can be spent only for the purpose stated in the referendum.

This issue is too big and too important to the people of Portage County to be rushed through so many closed-session meetings without at least one serious public forum.

The ad hoc committee is forging ahead. We must insist that this expedited process be paused long enough for, at the minimum, a public forum, separate from a county board meeting, where citizens can ask questions and get answers.

We are the owners and users of the Portage County HCC. We are the biggest stakeholders.

Please contact:

Your district supervisor’s contact information can be found at www.co.portage.wi.gov/171/County-Board.

If you can’t leave a phone message, please email. A short message might include just your name, address, and ask them to pause the sale and have a public forum.

Karlene Ferrante
Stevens Point