Quincy hospital district puts bond request out to voters

QUINCY — Voters in the Quincy hospital district will be asked to accept or reject a bond proposal, up to $55 million, in the Aug. 2 primary. If the proposal is approved, the money would be used to build a new Quincy Valley Medical Center.

If the bond is approved, property owners would pay an estimated 46 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. That means the owner of property assessed at $200,000 would pay $92 per year, and a property owner with land assessed at $300,000 would pay $138 per year.

Hospital administrator Glenda Bishop said if the bond passes, the assessment might change as market conditions change.

“I would emphasize that this (46 cents per $1,000) is just an estimate,” Bishop said.

Since the bond is a revenue measure for a hospital, it requires 60% approval from voters to pass.

“The bond wording is asking for an up-to amount,” Bishop said.

A grant obtained by the Port of Quincy allowed hospital and port officials to do a facility assessment and come up with a concept for a new hospital.

“(A new hospital) has been something that has been talked about and considered, probably, over a period of the last four or five years,” Bishop said.

The current concept is only a concept, Bishop said, and the estimated cost is just that, an estimate. The actual cost will have an impact on bond sales.

“The plan would be that we would probably sell bonds in two separate amounts,” Bishop said.

The second bond sale would be used to pay the balance of the project.

Hospital district officials will be looking for other sources of funding, she said.

“We already are looking at several different options, that would include any state funds that are available for infrastructure, philanthropy, and any other community partners that would be out there for investing in local health care,” she said.

Currently district officials are not considering applying for a loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she said.

“We’re just very blessed to have an assessed valuation (of district property) that is very meaningful when you start to look at how we get there,” Bishop said. “The valuation of our hospital district definitely helped guide the decision.

“The USDA is not free money. The USDA is still a loan, and it has to be paid back,” she said. “In one way or the other, the taxpayers are paying. For us, the USDA was something that was discussed but it was not determined that it was the best answer for us.”

District officials recently issued a request for qualifications from architectural and engineering firms that might be interested in the project.

“Once that piece is done, the architect and engineering work would start from there,” Bishop said.

District officials would build on the earlier needs assessment.

“We reevaluate the work done (in the assessment), essentially reevaluate the conceptual design, and determine where we go from there,” she said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.

Quincy Valley Medical Center bond request basics:

Up to $55 million to build a new hospital

On Aug. 2 primary ballot

Requires 60% yes votes to pass

Estimated levy rate is 46 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value