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2/1/2007
Should counties be in the nursing home business?
No. And here's why. 1) Operating costs are higher than private sector nursing homes. 2) County nursing homes are (for the most part), not mandated and they cost local taxpayers significant bucks.
Actually (in Calumet County), I thought we¡¦d already taken care of this! What's the deal?
Before last November's election, I argued that Calumet County should sell Homestead Rehabilitation Center. And if the County insisted on being in the nursing home business, I argued Supervisors must make the tough prioritizing decisions, reducing funding in one or more programs so they could redirect needed dollars to the Homestead Center.
And what happened? On November 7, Calumet County residents were asked to exceed the property tax cap so that enough extra money could be generated to fund the Homestead, that has, in recent years, run increasing deficits.
Resoundingly, voters said NO.
So the Joint Committee, made up of the 10 members of both the Homestead and Property and Grounds Committees of the County Board, voted unanimously (10 to 0) to recommend selling Homestead and to begin negotiations with a broker by Feb. 1.
And then... the full board simply would not take the recommendation of their own joint committee.
The arguments to "Save the Homestead!" were emotional - and not rational (Voters said NO to more money. Just how are we going to pay for it?)
Supervisors said several things:
- The referendum didn¡¦t mention The Homestead specifically; if voters knew the extra taxes were for the Homestead, they would have supported lifting the revenue cap. (See the referendum wording below.* If it would have mentioned the Homestead specifically, would your vote have changed?)
- No one else will take the patients who are here.
- If the nursing home is sold, two years down the road we might be sorry we did it. (What?)
- The care at Homestead is superior to nursing homes in general.
The singular mandate of a county is to care for developmentally disabled residents. And for those residents, the state is working to house them, as much as possible, in more integrated, smaller community homes. (For a long time, the Homestead refused to take these clients.) A county is absolutely not required by statute to operate a nursing home. (Only 39 of 72 Wisconsin counties own nursing homes.)
Will residents be asked to leave when the Homestead is sold? No. Will the level of care for patients decline when the Homestead is sold? No. Will Calumet County residents (and others in nearby counties) have fewer options to choose from, less available beds when the Homestead is sold? No. Will wage and benefit costs decrease when the Homestead is sold? Yes.
See the county's fact sheet, that includes the defeated November 7 referendum wording and additional straightforward information about the Homestead.
FoxPolitics to the Calumet County Board: Sell the Homestead.
*Nov. 7, 2006 referendum wording, Calumet County: "Under state law, the increase in the levy of Calumet County for the tax to be imposed for the next fiscal year, 2007, is estimated to be limited to 3.726%, which results in an estimated levy of $12,687,227. Shall Calumet County be allowed to exceed this limit and increase the levy for the next five fiscal years, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, by a total of 10.267%, which results in a levy of $13,487,227?"
COMMENTS
Should the schools be in the child care business? Answer is NO. And the reasons are the same. Also--we want to encourage private business.
Dale (Thu Feb 01 08:10:02 2007)
You DO NOT have all the facts and wrong on some of the information you are using. As a county board supervisor I voted to keep the nursing home. What is it worth, how much are we going to sell, was it poorly managed? And yes, the home could be closed. If you would of been at the county board meeting you would know several of the members on the joint committee voted to keep the home. A 10-0 vote sent it to the board for debate and a vote of 10-8 not to sell means several changed their mind. Selling the home without all the facts would be a waste of taxpayers money. Sorry to many unanswered questions. By the way, the many responses I recieved was do not sell both before and after the vote.
Chester Dietzen, Supervisor (Thu Feb 01 08:49:48 2007)
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