MONROE - If you live in Green County, you may be getting a phone call asking for your support for the Pleasant View Nursing Home tax referendum on Oct. 6.
A political action committee, official known as the "Referendum Committee," registered with the Green County Clerk's office late last month. The committee's goal is to contact likely voters to ask that they vote in favor of the referendum.
A political action committee is made up of ordinary people who want to raise money for or against an issue, Green County Clerk Mike Doyle said.
The group is required to register with his office, which is did Aug. 26, and can spend as much money as it can raise, Doyle said.
People on the committee could work at Pleasant View Nursing Home, but don't represent the county or the nursing home, Doyle added.
The Oct. 6 referendum will allow the county to exceed the tax levy rate by up to $890,000 a year, for the next five years, to help cover annual funding gaps that this year is expected to reach $1.2 million.
Thor Backus, organizer for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Pleasant View employees' union, said the phone calls are meant to encourage people to vote for the referendum as well as help educate people about the importance of voting.
"We're reaching out to the community," he said.
The committee got a list of voters from the county and the state, which is common for political groups of candidates.
In addition, a petition to support the nursing home was signed by about 1,2000 people across the county over the past four weeks. Everyone who signed the petition also provided their phone numbers and were told they could be called.
Backus said the committee only has a few weeks before the referendum.
"In a perfect world, there would be more time to educate the public," he said.
The county board had to decide to hold the referendum as soon as possible because the county's budget must be approved by mid-November.
Jefferson County also plans a referendum for it's nursing home, but the county began the process in January, Backus said. It had more time to explain the need for a referendum to the public.
The five-year referendum would cost the owner of a home valued at $150,000 about $50 a year for the next five years and it will cost the owner of a home valued at $300,000 about $100 a year for the next five years.
In 2008 the nursing home had a deficit of about $900,000.
This year it's estimated the nursing home will have a deficit of about $1.2 million. The county was to receive about $650,000 from the state for the Pleasant View budget. However, the state Legislature decided to keep some of the federal money ordinarily sent to the nursing home to help cover its Medicaid Trust Fund deficits.
A political action committee, official known as the "Referendum Committee," registered with the Green County Clerk's office late last month. The committee's goal is to contact likely voters to ask that they vote in favor of the referendum.
A political action committee is made up of ordinary people who want to raise money for or against an issue, Green County Clerk Mike Doyle said.
The group is required to register with his office, which is did Aug. 26, and can spend as much money as it can raise, Doyle said.
People on the committee could work at Pleasant View Nursing Home, but don't represent the county or the nursing home, Doyle added.
The Oct. 6 referendum will allow the county to exceed the tax levy rate by up to $890,000 a year, for the next five years, to help cover annual funding gaps that this year is expected to reach $1.2 million.
Thor Backus, organizer for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Pleasant View employees' union, said the phone calls are meant to encourage people to vote for the referendum as well as help educate people about the importance of voting.
"We're reaching out to the community," he said.
The committee got a list of voters from the county and the state, which is common for political groups of candidates.
In addition, a petition to support the nursing home was signed by about 1,2000 people across the county over the past four weeks. Everyone who signed the petition also provided their phone numbers and were told they could be called.
Backus said the committee only has a few weeks before the referendum.
"In a perfect world, there would be more time to educate the public," he said.
The county board had to decide to hold the referendum as soon as possible because the county's budget must be approved by mid-November.
Jefferson County also plans a referendum for it's nursing home, but the county began the process in January, Backus said. It had more time to explain the need for a referendum to the public.
The five-year referendum would cost the owner of a home valued at $150,000 about $50 a year for the next five years and it will cost the owner of a home valued at $300,000 about $100 a year for the next five years.
In 2008 the nursing home had a deficit of about $900,000.
This year it's estimated the nursing home will have a deficit of about $1.2 million. The county was to receive about $650,000 from the state for the Pleasant View budget. However, the state Legislature decided to keep some of the federal money ordinarily sent to the nursing home to help cover its Medicaid Trust Fund deficits.