GARNETT — A proposed vote for a bond issue for a new Anderson County Hospital is still up in the air. Hospital officials had sought to float a $26.5 million bond issue through the county and asked the commission Monday for the bond proposal to be put on the November election. However, the Anderson County Review reports that the proposal would put the county above its debt limit. By state law counties can issue general obligation bonds up to three percent of their assessed property valuations. County Clerk Phyllis Gettler said the county could bypass the state limit by issuing special revenue bonds or run the bonds through the county public building commission, which issued bonds and built the Anderson County jail. Hospital officials are looking at their options. St. Lukes Health System, which operates the hospital, says the hospital is crowded and outdated, and the plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning systems longer meet building codes. The Review notes the proposal comes amid stepped-up competition among hospitals in the region. Voters in Allen County last year overwhelmingly approved a new $30 million facility in Iola funded by bonds and a quarter-cent sales tax. And Ransom Memorial Hospital at Ottawa recently completed a $9 million upgrade and expansion project.
Tuesday, July 24, 4 p.m.
