Apparently the newest baloney tactic to tout the new hospital district is that somehow taxpayers don't pay for that honking 14.4 million buck certificate of obligation (plus interest) because the district took it over. hahah. Editor Amanda Kimble skewers that cesspool of illogic.

....during the election, I was presented information that spelled out a theory similar to the concerned citizen and taxpayer - “Removing the burden from the county.”

At that time, I came to a conclusion that the financial burden might be removed from the back of county taxpayers – as far submitting a payment to Somervell County as a taxing entity is concerned. But, as I understood it, a new taxing entity would mean a new tax. And the hospital district encompasses the exact same territory as the county. Same property owners, same taxpayers, new tax, which means higher taxes – it seemed simple.

And then she ASKED Judge Mike Ford, who confirmed that the letter writer(s) were wrong. As Ms Kimble said

The debt still exists. Taxpayers are still responsible for it. The only difference is that law requires Somervell County Hospital District to pay off the debt, which will remain under the county's name

Yup. Here's a pot of money that is the financial obligation of the taxpayer for the hospital. When the county decided to loan taxpayer money to private hospital GRMC by getting the 14.4 mill certificate of obligation (plus interest) , Gary Marks was supposed to pay that money back, NOT THE TAXPAYER. The county nontheless had to cover that money in case, and well they did, since GRMC not only didn't pay that money back, but their attempt at making a hospital district to get out of paying it failed the first time. The county then created a hospital authority to run the hospital but where did the debt go? Nowhere. Same pot of money that is the financial burden. Now that the hospital district has been created, did THAT make the financial burden go away? Hahah. OF COURSE NOT, the only thing that changed is WHAT ENTITY you pay down that debt to AS A TAXPAYER. It's not like Poof, we waved a wand, the financial burden went away and Candy and Cookies and a Pat on the Head for All!

In fact, the first time the hospital district was proposed, the commissioners said that they were going to keep that extra money that was part of the hospital budget EVEN IF THE DISTRICT PASSED. So not only would a person get taxed from the hospital district, but would also not get a tax reduction from the commissioners. Good question for the commissioners. Did they lower taxes by 7 1/2 cents now that the district has the obligation? I'm willing to bet not.

P.S. Any time you see someone say "We asked the So and So" .. or "This is 1, just ask your So and So"... and you DON"T, you are running the risk that you are being taken advantage of. I've seen this in lots of those fake spam emails that go out that say "Snopes confirms this" but then you go look on Snopes, and what the author of the email said is baloney. Same thing with those letters that the GR Reporter got. The authors said to go ask county officials for verification. WHEN MS KIMBLE DID, she verified that the assertions made by the letter writers were not 1. Remember what Ronald Reagan said "Trust, but Verify" and each person should do that for him or herself.

P.P.S. Don't forget when you think about that big ole debt, to factor in the loan that the Hospital Authority took out to fix up Pecan Plantation in Hood County. You know, the clinic that YOU can't even use, Somervell County Taxpayer, but that is part of the debt the new district took on.