Power County Hospital hoping voters approve $2.95M bond to finish work

The Power County Hospital District is hoping voters approve a $2.95 million bond to finish facility renovations.

The American Falls-based hospital is currently undergoing work that was approved as part of a $14.95 million bond in 2017.

According to Jacklyn Taylor, an administrative assistant and marketing director for the hospital, the original bond was drafted using 2016 prices. By the time work began in 2018, those estimates were up nearly 25 percent.

“The economy was very different then,” Taylor said.

Still, the group decided to go through with the project, focusing on patient care areas first. Within a year, it became evident that there was no way to complete the project based on the original bond.

“This is what we’re asking for on November 5, is for that last little bit of money to finish everything,” Taylor said.

Taxes have already increased in Power County with several recent projects, but Taylor says even with the new bond the cost per $100,000 of assessed property value would still be about $100. That is the same estimate that passed with the 2017 ballot.

“We all only want to pay a minimal amount of taxes and that was what was promised,” Taylor said. “We really wanted to complete the entire project within that budget and so it is important for the hospital district to try and get the project done and stay within that to keep our constituents and the county and taxpayers happy.”

The nearly $3 million bond will need a supermajority (two-thirds of the vote) to pass Tuesday.