Local Residents Sign Petition Asking for Vote on MHP Bonding
Lawrence Rouw delivers signatures to the Mahaska County Auditors office on April 1st, 2011
A group of citizens, concerned with a recent vote by the Mahaska County Supervisors, decided to petition for a public vote on the matter. The vote by the Mahaska County Supervisors had cleared the way for the county to provide funding for Mahaska Health Partnership, in the way of issuing general obligation bonds. This would result in a lower interest rate for the hospital over their funding ability in issuing revenue bonds.
The hospital already faced one blow when charges of fraud were brought against Supervisor VanWheelden from state investigators, in a separate case. This caused their further requests to be pulled from the recent supervisors agenda, effectively ending that avenue of funding for the moment.
The second blow came, with the petition, when a former Mahaska County Supervisor Lawrence Rouw and former Oskaloosa City Council member Jimmy Carter spearheaded the petition signing, with the assistance of others, to gain the 851 signatures necessary in order to hold a special election on the matter. The special election would negate the vote of the Supervisors from March 7th. The group submitted 995 valid signatures to the Mahaska County Auditors office.
“Petitions were circulated not only in Oskaloosa, but also New Sharon, Fremont and Leighton with signatures split nearly equal between the city and county residents”, says Rouw.
My question for Rouw was, “What would be the next step for the group?” Rouw answered, “To see if anyone objects, then to get the word out and educate the people as to why there should be a vote on this. The people vote when there’s a big school bond issue, the people voted on the library and jail issue, the people voted on the lost option sales tax, that 7th cent of sales tax that went to the schools. The City of Oskaloosa voted on the swimming pool. This is a major cost factor, so we think the people should vote.”
Mahaska Health Partnership CEO Jay Christensen released a statement to Osky News in regard to the recent petition. “Technically, the petition period hasn’t begun since the follow-up public meeting was taken off the March 21 Supervisor’ agenda and a vote was not taken. However, we recognize the statement made by receipt of the signed petition, which now leaves us with another set of decisions.”
With the petition drive, a special election would be held August 2nd, 2011.
