"The district, formed in 1948, today operates a 415-bed acute care hospital. For the current and past two fiscal years, the district shows operating losses of about $30 million annually, or about 3.5% of its operating expenses. Measure B would cover about $13 million of that shortfall. Those taxes would be on top of the district's bond program, which voters in 2020 agreed to increase to pay for hospital seismic improvements."
"To cover the cost of the bonds, property owners this fiscal year will pay $21.80 per $100,000 of assessed value, or about $167 for a home with a district-average assessed value. The bond tax will likely increase as the district borrows more money to finance construction of a new seismically sound hospital tower for patient rooms. But the issue on the ballot this year is money to cover the shortfall for hospital and other health care operations."
Washington Township Health Care District operates a 415-bed acute care hospital and reports operating losses near $30 million annually for recent fiscal years. Measure B would impose a parcel tax of $5 per 100 square feet for 12 years, roughly $90 for an average single-family house, and would raise about $13 million, which is less than half the shortfall. Property owners also pay a bond levy approved in 2020 (about $21.80 per $100,000 of assessed value, roughly $167 per average home) to fund seismic hospital improvements. Operating expenses rose 24% over three years while revenues rose 26%, and staffing is about 15% above pre-pandemic levels despite reported layoffs.
Read at The Mercury News
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