The Scappoose City Council has decided  to be included in the health district/hospital lawsuit as interveners. They have decided to join forces with the current health district board and their attorney Jim Huffman. They have been fighting against the County Commissioners and the City of St. Helens for the right to sell the $3.3 million dollar property on Millard Rd. The Health District and Scappoose want to sell the property and credit the money back to each and every taxpayer in the health district.

The suit has been going on for about three years. The current board had offered mediation several years ago and was ignored until 6 months ago, when the state of Oregon requested that all parties agree to mediation. The current board had hoped that this would have resulted in a finalization to the issue. The county Commissioners had finally agreed to mediation upon the stipulation that the City of St Helens was on board as well.

Unfortunately the City of St. Helens refused to mediate simply because they want the entire value of the property. The city only paid in 40% of the cost of the property but they want 100% of the selling price.

The City of St. Helens wants money that people in Scappoose paid and all the other areas outside the city limits, which the current board will not agree too. One might find it difficult to see why the St. Helens city council should feel that they are entitled to tax money that was collected outside of their boundaries.

None of this would even be an issue if the past hospital board and the county commissioners and the St. Helens people would not have tried to rip off the taxpayers. And claim properties and money that was rightfully due to be left in charge of the duly elected health board. Their greed and conspiracy to defraud the taxpayers is shameful. And their actions should not be allowed to continue any longer.

I am grateful the Scappoose city council has decided to intervene to support the taxpayers in this matter. The Council of Scappoose understands the importance of crediting taxes back to the people who paid the tax and not to other areas.

This entire mess needs to be put to rest and could have been, if the county commissioners and the city of St. Helens would have not stepped in and tried to take what was not theirs. 

Again I am glad that the City of Scappoose has stepped up to support all our Health District's taxpayers.