It's no surprise that operating a public nursing home has become an extreme budget burden for Green County government.
The Green County Board's Finance Committee is discussing how to deal with the nearly million-dollar annual gap between revenues and the cost of operating Pleasant View Nursing Home. The committee made no decisions Tuesday, but discussion focused on ways the county could receive more local tax dollars to support Pleasant View.
Committee members discussed having a referendum, asking voters to allow the county to exceed state-imposed caps on property tax increases. A successful referendum would allow the county to use a property tax increase to fund the nursing home deficit.
They discussed having an advisory referendum, asking voters whether they'd be willing to approve a referendum - an absurd exercise, really. The county either should ask for the extra money, or not.
The committee also talked about working with local lawmakers toward legislation that would add nursing home expenses to the list of those that would not be subject to property tax caps. It's a proposal at least worthy of discussion in Madison, though the prospect of diminishing the effectiveness of revenue caps to control local government spending is unappealing. Particularly when county governments - and thus by extension local taxpayers - have the ability to decide what priority to place on nursing home expenditures.
Which brings us to an option Green County government also should be discussing, and that's to get out of the nursing home business.
Public nursing homes like Pleasant Valley provide a valuable service. In general, patients who need longer-term care are more likely to stay in a public home. Privately owned facilities often are more expensive. But while public homes provide an important service, they're becoming less and less affordable for cash-strapped county governments and their constituents.
The number of counties owning nursing homes in Wisconsin has dropped, as has the number of beds per facility for residents. Rising deficits and shrinking budgets are causing this. According to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, the 36 counties operating nursing homes faced a combined deficit of $69 million in 2007. Four counties have since ceased operations entirely or sold the homes to private owners.
Which is why there should be no surprise - or fault found - in Green County having a nursing home funding dilemma. The county nursing home business has been a losing proposition financially for many years. So the board must make a decision.
It shouldn't ask taxpayers for more money. They're already overburdened. Within its current means, the board should discuss and decide whether the benefits derived from operating a public nursing home are worth the costs. If they are, then it's a spending priority, and funds to some other programs and services may need to be reduced or eliminated. If the benefits are not worth the cost, it's time for Green County government to stop running a nursing home.
The Green County Board's Finance Committee is discussing how to deal with the nearly million-dollar annual gap between revenues and the cost of operating Pleasant View Nursing Home. The committee made no decisions Tuesday, but discussion focused on ways the county could receive more local tax dollars to support Pleasant View.
Committee members discussed having a referendum, asking voters to allow the county to exceed state-imposed caps on property tax increases. A successful referendum would allow the county to use a property tax increase to fund the nursing home deficit.
They discussed having an advisory referendum, asking voters whether they'd be willing to approve a referendum - an absurd exercise, really. The county either should ask for the extra money, or not.
The committee also talked about working with local lawmakers toward legislation that would add nursing home expenses to the list of those that would not be subject to property tax caps. It's a proposal at least worthy of discussion in Madison, though the prospect of diminishing the effectiveness of revenue caps to control local government spending is unappealing. Particularly when county governments - and thus by extension local taxpayers - have the ability to decide what priority to place on nursing home expenditures.
Which brings us to an option Green County government also should be discussing, and that's to get out of the nursing home business.
Public nursing homes like Pleasant Valley provide a valuable service. In general, patients who need longer-term care are more likely to stay in a public home. Privately owned facilities often are more expensive. But while public homes provide an important service, they're becoming less and less affordable for cash-strapped county governments and their constituents.
The number of counties owning nursing homes in Wisconsin has dropped, as has the number of beds per facility for residents. Rising deficits and shrinking budgets are causing this. According to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, the 36 counties operating nursing homes faced a combined deficit of $69 million in 2007. Four counties have since ceased operations entirely or sold the homes to private owners.
Which is why there should be no surprise - or fault found - in Green County having a nursing home funding dilemma. The county nursing home business has been a losing proposition financially for many years. So the board must make a decision.
It shouldn't ask taxpayers for more money. They're already overburdened. Within its current means, the board should discuss and decide whether the benefits derived from operating a public nursing home are worth the costs. If they are, then it's a spending priority, and funds to some other programs and services may need to be reduced or eliminated. If the benefits are not worth the cost, it's time for Green County government to stop running a nursing home.
