Local politicians have agreed to set aside $1 million towards a new regional hospital to be built somewhere, someday.
The decision by the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District means a property assessed at $250,000 will pay about $57 in hospital taxes this year, up from $37 last year.
Directors opted to begin socking away money now to offset the amount they borrow when the time comes to replace the regional hospital in Trail. It does not commit them to a specific site or project.
“It’s trying to have a little more consistent flow when the next capital project comes along,” says administrator Jim Gustafson. “There are two major projects on the horizon: Phase II of the Nelson project, which is around $8 million, and the major issue of what’s going to happen with acute care services in the West Kootenay Boundary, whether it’s one site or two.”
The cost of a replacement hospital or hospitals for the region is unknown, but expected to be at least $50 million. The time frame for the project is also hazy.
The hospital district previously amassed a $3 million reserve, half of which went toward upgrades at Kootenay Lake Hospital, including the CT scanner suite and enlarged emergency room. The rest of the money remains in the bank, and has not been added to in two years.
Gustafson expects the decision to top up the reserve will be revisited annually.
“I imagine it will come up every year,” he says. “It is controversial and the board wasn’t unanimous. Some folks agree wholeheartedly, others say no way. But the majority said let’s bring it back to where it was.”
The motion passed with about one-third of directors opposed, although only Rossland and Warfield wanted their nay votes recorded.
Hospital board chair Marguerite Rotvold of Midway says the decision followed considerable discussion over several months, and $1 million was simply a figure most were comfortable with, “because there were no major requisitions for construction this year. It would raise taxes a little, but not majorly.”
The board, which pays 40 per cent of capital projects for hospitals in the region, is comprised of directors of the regional districts of Central Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary.
They’re also expected to hear from Interior Health next month on the process of facility replacement.