The Columbia County Commissioner held their regular commissioners meeting on June 30th, 2010. After the business of the county is done, each commissioner is given ample time to make comments or tell the public what events or meetings they have attended the prior week.

As I read the minutes of the meeting I want to address a comment that was given by Commissioner Rita Bernhard. Commissioner Bernhard explained that she had attended the hospital meeting. And that, "A number of people gave testimony and the majority of those were in favor of the hospital project"

Commissioner Bernhard was correct in her statement that the majority of the people who attended the meeting were in favor of the hospital project. BUT what she failed to explain to the public and for the record, was that the majority of the people that attended this meeting in favor of the hospital project works for Public Health. Commissioner Bernhard failed to explain to the public that if the hospital proposal were a go, that Public Health would have a brand new Public Health facility connected to the hospital facility.

I have a problem with Public Health receiving any funds or benefiting through building construction associated with the "hospital" taxation.
In my opinion the people running Public Health is going about getting a new building by being dishonest and deceitful. No wonder they all support the hospital proposal.
If Public Health needs more funding they need to present a measure to the voters to approve or deny. The process is available such as collecting signatures to get a ballot measure on the ballot. That would be the honest and forthright thing to do.

The initial ballot measure of 2004 for a "Critical Access Hospital" clearly stated that the measure was for a "Critical Access hospital"; in fact the ballot measure stated that no money would be for Public Health. The hospital proposal and public health are two separate entities and should be kept completely separate, instead both are controlled by the same board and have in the past integrated budgets; integrated personnel, intergraded decisions, but completely separate sources of funding making it look like they are one entity.

Commissioner Bernhard has learned the way of a true politician, telling bits and pieces of issues but not quite the whole scenario, she failed to mention the fact that over 2,500 people signed the petition to stop the funding for the ever changing proposal and are not in favor of the hospital, and that numerous people have testified at public meetings and have sent written comments to the certificate of need board against the proposal.
And each time the hospital has been denied their certificate of need they have appealed the certificated of needs decision costing the taxpayers about $75,000.00 and a new application fee of $25,000.00. Each new application is a repeat of the previous application, all they do is change the name and try to integrate a new rule that they know does not apply to this facility to qualify for, its simply an on going Pink Elephant. I understand that if the current application is denied the hospital board is ready to appeal the decision. Pretty simple as long as the hospital board is collecting about $1million a year they can appeal until the cows come home all at the expense of the taxpayers' pocketbooks.

Commissioner Bernhard, after 6 years of continual designation changes for the hospital, after spending over $4 million in taxpayer dollars, apparent disregard for the original ballot measure, obvious inconsideration for the voters who's voice wish to be heard through the out come of the initiative last winter, to have a say whether they want to let this board continue to piss off millions of dollars, I ask everyone When is enough enough? What will it take to stop this waste of taxpayer's dollars? Another 6 years?

When will the three county commissioners put a stop to this charade, after all the two county commissioners Tony Hyde and Rita Bernhard are the ones that voted for a referendum which allowed the hospital board to get their untruthful ballot measure on the ballot, and they are responsible, along with the hospital board for hoodwinking of the voter.