This Thursday (Sept. 16, 2010) at 5pm is the second of two required public hearings for the Board to listen to public input before voting to:
1) Approve a property tax millage rate of either ZERO or ONE % . For forty years, they have been rubberstamping a request to set the millage rate at 1%.
2) Approve a budget which this year is around $10-million. See our recent, earlier post for agenda docs, etc.
As we have posted on this website before, the Board has NO stated requirements for spending the approximatly $10-million that is split between the two large local hospitals, Waterman and Leesburg. There also is no requirement for an "audit trail" of how the funds are spent, so the hospitals put the funds in their general checking accounts and can spend it on just about anything, like high salaries, but tell us it was spent on something else.
BE there this Thursday evening for a tailgate party starting at 4pm in the 8 story County parking lot, then go to the meeting around 4:45pm to get a seat, and provide public input as you see fit about issues such as:
1) the tax is not warranted any longer since both hospitals are non-profits, but report millions in profit every year,
2) there is NO requirement for an "audit trail" to track exactly where the funds are spent, thus they hospitals can spend the $10-million they get on anything,
3) the law providing for the tax does NOT state specific goals and objectives for the tax spending, thus, again, the hospital can spend the funds on advertisements, big salaries, building other hospitals OUTSIDE LAKE COUNTY, or other projects not helpful to Lake County Taxpayers, or
4) The current Board members, except for Marilyn Bainter, have refused to improve any of the above situations.
You can also get info at THIS website ( http://northlakecountyhospitaldistrict.com/ ) and you can search on Facebook and find the "page" "FixLakeTaxes" and "like" it.
Below is an email from event organizer Marilyn Bainter:
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If you made the first tax hearing of the North Lake County Hospital District, thank you for your support. If not, you have a second chance on Thursday, September 16th at 5:15 pm in the County Commission Chambers in the round courthouse in Tavares. Each taxing agency is required to have two hearings before passing their final budget.
Only by attending and participating in government meetings and hearings can we ever expect to see change. Citizens have to let their elected officials know they are not happy with the status quo by speaking up.
At the first meeting I attended after I was elected, about 8 supporters were there. At the tax hearings last year, probably 16 were present. At the meeting last Thursday, I would guess there were about 40. We are making progress. The board cannot ignore you forever, nor can our elected legislators, who are the over-sight of the special taxing district.
And while change is the magic word now, government prefers not to change or even re-evaluate their purposes, many times without questioning what it is doing, or more importantly, without questioning what it is ACHIEVING.
Count yourself as being bold enough to be one of those that help this movement make some changes.
Attached are some brief points about the taxing district.
Thanks,
Marilyn Bainter, Trustee
North Lake County Hospital District
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This is supplemental information from Marilyn Bainter:
A BIT ABOUT NORTH LAKE COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT
North Lake County Hospital District is a Special Taxing District that taxes $1 per thousand of property value (1 mill) to support continued hospital services at Florida Hospital Waterman and Leesburg Regional Medical Center (non-profit corporations). Laws of Florida, Chapter 2002-348, Amended by Chapter 2004-460
IT APPEARS NORTH LAKE COUNTY HEALTHCARE HAS BIG BUSINESS SENSE
Both Florida Hospital Waterman and Leesburg Regional Medical Center are non-profit, tax exempt corporations.
Nonprofit hospitals are exempt from federal income tax, state corporate tax, local property tax, and sales tax.
Florida Hospital Waterman pays its executives and out-of-district board members millions of dollars in compensation. IRS 990 Forms
Each hospital reports various investments annually; Florida Hospital Waterman reported $36.1 million and Leesburg Regional Medical Center reported $71.5 million in 2007. IRS 990 Forms
DOES FLORIDA HOSPITAL AND LEESBURG REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER NEED OUR TAXES FOR “CONTINUED HOSPITAL SERVICES”?
Our two hospitals made millions of dollars in profits, in addition to doubling tax collections from North Lake County property owners from 2002-2007. IRS 990 Forms, Lake County Property Appraiser
Hospitals can qualify for additional funds from the state and federal government if they serve a large percentage of Medicare and Medicaid patients. Our hospitals do not qualify. Agency for Health Care Administration
In addition to the hospital tax, Lake County Government expended $5.9 million in 2007-2008 for indigent healthcare. Lake County Community Service
Untaxed hospital properties in the county are under valued at $102 million. Lake County Property Appraiser
Fifty-seven of the sixty-seven counties in Florida have no special tax for hospitals. Florida Property Appraisers
In 2009 FLORIDA TAX WATCH
reported the traditional purpose of providing indigent care and ensuring access are often no longer the main objectives of hospitals; rather we are seeing lack of accountability, mismanagement, escalating taxes, and expansion of purpose and power. Florida TaxWatch Releases Analysis of Florida Hospital Taxing District System, February 24, 2009
FOR YOUR INTEREST
The constitutionality of the hospital is being challenged in court on the basis that you, the electors, have never been allowed to vote on the law that created the tax.
The Hospital Taxing District cannot use its taxing power to aid any corporation.
CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, Article VII, Section 9 and 10
