BOISE, Idaho — A bond that would have funded a new emergency wing at Weiser Memorial Hospital failed.
The $6.5 million funding request from the Weiser Hospital District was approved by 54% of voters but required a super-majority of 66.7% in order to pass.
The bond would have helped fund a new emergency room wing that would have provided space "to consolidate all radiology services, private ER access for all ambulance patients, enlargement of treatment rooms, addition of mental health holding area, updated and expanded surgical space for out-patient procedures, new parking, and all related equipment, fixtures and appliances necessary to maintain and operate said facilities."
The original ballot question follows:
Shall the Board of Trustees of Weiser Hospital District, Washington County, Idaho (the "District") be authorized to issue general obligation bonds in the amount of $6,500,000 to become due in such installments as may be fixed by the Board of Trustees of the District (th "Board"), the final installment to fall due not more than twenty (20) years from the date of such bonds, for the purpose of (i) financing a new emergency room wing with space to consolidate all radiology services, private ER access for all ambulance patients, enlargement of treatment rooms, addition of mental health holding area, updated and expanded surgical space for out-patient procedures, new parking, and all related equipment, fixtures and appliances necessary to maintain and operate said facilities, and (ii) paying the costs of issuance of such bonds, all as provided in the Bond Election Resolution adopted by the Board on February 27, 2020?
The interest rate anticipated on the proposed bond issue, based upon current market rates, is two and ninety two hundredths percent (2.92%) per annum. The amount to be repaid over the life of the bonds, based on the anticipated interest rate, is $9,035,700, in consisting of $6,500,000 in principal and $2,535,700 of interest.
The estimated average annual cost to the taxpayer on the proposed bond is a tax of $79.95 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value, per year, based on current conditions. As of May 19, 2020, the total existing bonded indebtedness of the District, including interest accrued, is $1,405, 849.
