Veterans Memorial Hospital City to County Conversion Meetings; A few meetings remain
Specific Ag Property Taxation Examples Provided Below
Veterans Memorial Hospital staff and board members have visited each Allamakee County community during the past six weeks to present and discuss the need to convert from a city owned hospital to a county owned hospital. Just a few additional sessions now remain available for those who may have missed the previous meetings. These sessions last less than an hour and will answer any questions anyone may have about the proposed conversion of Veterans Memorial Hospital from a city-owned to a county-owned hospital.
The schedule for these final county meetings, by date, is as follows:
• Postville Tuesday, November 1: 6 p.m. NE IA Wellness Center Meeting Room
• Waukon Wednesday, November 2: 7 p.m. Freedom Bank Community Room
• Waukon Thursday, November 3: 7 a.m. Freedom Bank Community Room
Anyone is welcome to attend these presentations, and question and answer sessions will follow each one. Questions such as the following will be covered at these informational meetings:
QUESTION: Is ag property included in these proposed appropriations? If so, is ag property taxed at the same rate as residential property?
ANSWER: Yes, ag property is also included along with residential property in these appropriations. For residential, the average taxable value of a home in the county is $144,000, which would be taxed just $157/year. For ag property, many tax rollbacks have been applied making the ratio of the tax considerably less per $1000 of taxable value.
The best way to figure your ag property taxation is to take the Net Taxable Value and multiply it by 0.00109 to find the approximate tax increase on the property. Be sure you are using Net Taxable Value and not assessed value as the assessed amount is higher.
The following are actual farm examples of the impact on real estate taxes with a $950,000 tax levy on Allamakee County taxable valuation that would result in a $1.09413 mill rate per taxable $1,000:
• 257 acre farm about two miles north of Lycurgus in French Creek Township. Just over half tillable with medium productivity, around 30% in forest reserve, no buildings. The cost to this farm is $.58/acre or $146.91.
• 262 acre farm in Union Prairie township, around 40% tillable-medium productivity, no forest reserve, balance improved pasture, no buildings. Additional cost on this farm is $.61/acre or $158.21.
• 243 acre farm in Union Prairie township, about 50% tillable-medium productivity, ranch style house, significantly improved building site with a modern 4,000 head swine nursery and two modern pole buildings, no forest reserve. The cost here would be $1.36/acre or $329.31.
• 40 acres all woodland, no forest reserve, no buildings. Cost here is $.23/acre or $8.96.
• 150 acres all tillable - high productivity in Union Prairie township, no buildings. The cost is $1.82/acre or $272.78.
• 197 acres in Ludlow township, turn of century farmhouse and older functional set of buildings/grain storage all very well maintained. 80% tillable - high productivity, balance all open pasture. Cost here is $1.45/acre or $284.09.
QUESTION: How does this compare to the Allamakee Community School District appropriations?
ANSWER: Please see the following quote from Jay Mathis, Allamakee Community School (ACSD) Superintendent for that answer: “I fully support this hospital city to county conversion and think the asking amount is very reasonable. We (Allamakee Community School District) could be looked at as competition for tax dollars since we rely on 45% of our funding from local property taxes. The hospital tax rate is 1.09%. Our tax rate for the school is 9.85%. State average is over 13%.
We do live in a conservative community. They expect us to operate lean, but give a quality product and I know you do that at VMH. We feel we do that as well at ACSD and working together with any other taxing entity within the county, as a team we will work hard to keep everyone’s overall levy as low as possible.
Our school system would really struggle to offer all of the opportunities we have if the hospital was not here. Our funding is driven by enrollment. I think we all work hard in the county to keep that tax rate reasonable yet offer the best we can in a rural community.”
QUESTION: Does this vote need to pass both the City of Waukon and Allamakee County as well?
ANSWER: Yes, although there is just one question on the ballot, a simple majority in Waukon, meaning half of the votes plus one or more, must vote yes to give up the hospital as a city hospital, then all of the votes in the county must also meet a simple majority as voting yes to make the hospital a county hospital. Again, there is just one question on the ballot, but it must win at least half the votes plus one in Waukon and in Allamakee County overall.
QUESTION: Does the conversion have the support of our local government officials?
ANSWER: Yes. During the March 21 Waukon City Council meeting, VMH received the Council’s full support to file a petition to invoke a vote for a city to county conversion.
QUESTION: If VMH becomes county-owned, what impact will the conversion have on emergency medical services (EMS)?
ANSWER: None. The conversion will not affect the existing ambulance services in any way.
QUESTION: How is this question worded on the ballot and where is it located?
ANSWER: This question is the very last question on the back side of the ballot, so everyone needs to be sure to complete their entire ballot. The question reads, SHALL THE FOLLOWING PUBLIC MEASURE BE ADOPTED?
Shall the municipal hospital of Waukon, Iowa, be transferred to and become the property of, and be managed by the county of Allamakee, Iowa?
YES
NO
The answer to agree to allow Veterans Memorial Hospital to convert from being city owned to county owned is yes.
Detailed information and videos are available on the hospital’s website at www.veteransmemorialhospital.com/voteyes/. The entire community presentation is also available on the Veterans Memorial Hospital website and Facebook page for reviewing in its entirety.
For more information about the need for the city to county conversion, feel free to call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
