Letter: Ideas for county home

Dear Editor

Any taxpayer support of the St. Croix Health Center, the tax-subsidized nursing home, should come from an increase in sales taxes to spread the burden across the whole community. The current scheme to support the financially failing facility is to again encumber only property owners, a small percentage of the eligible voters in St Croix County. There is little doubt voters who will not share in the onus of an initial taking of $330,000 from land owners will support such a referendum.

I do not believe county government should compete with private industry. County leaders know the nursing home is simply too expensive. While it initially eats up “only” $330,000, the taking will only increase in the future and require the county to set aside even more very limited dollars for it annually in a special tax levy. The current administration wants to increase the size of the facility, again with more of your seized tax dollars not yet appropriated. Their estimates do not adequately address the cost of maintaining such an aged facility. Regardless of how the levy referendum goes, this will not be the final answer. Some will always support their misguided idealistic views without considering the benefits of reality.   

If we must be in this business, it is time to turn the management of the St. Croix Health Center over to a private company or non-profit organization that will run it more cheaply, more efficiently and without our confiscated tax dollars.

Tags: opinion, letters, health, money