Who pays for the services now?
The county contributes $150,000 for current ambulance services. Rockdale and Cameron pay $100,000 each. So a very insignificant portion of county property owners pay a little bit. The cities of Gause, Buckholts, Thorndale and Milano pay nothing but still have all the services everyone else has.
Why are some people paying a hospital tax on a hospital that isn’t open?
The people living in the old city limits of Rockdale are paying this tax. It amounts to about $125,000 per year and the hospital board uses the money for upkeep of the hospital in case something good should happen with it. It won’t be run down and need to be redone if it were to open again in the future.
Will the hospital tax go away if this new
ESD is passed?
No. The tax will continue until the voters do away with the hospital district, which could happen because why pay taxes for a hospital that isn’t open?
Would the county and the cities of Rockdale and Cameron stop paying what they are paying now if the ESD is passed?
Yes, the money would go back to the general fund for each entity and used for something else.
Why doesn’t a big hospital system buy and operate the Rockdale hospital? Money. It would not turn a profit so no one is going to buy it. Could that situation change? Yes. If the economic health of Milam County changes for the better. But a large medical system buying the old hospital won’t happen any time soon.
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