The health district is spending our tax dollars to fight measure 5-209; the measure will stop the waste of tax dollars on a façade of a hospital. After 6 years this board has been denied twice by the state of Oregon and yet they continue to waste and spend your tax dollars on appeals, consultants, feasibility studies and the list goes on and on. How many feasibility studies must they do to get an accurate conclusion that a hospital in St. Helens will never run in the black and will ultimately fail

.The ballot measure presented in 2004 was ill thought out, ill conceived and ill fated, and illogic. Yet the hospital board continues to squander money like there is no end, OH! I forget there is no end to the collection of the 38 cents per thousand because it is a perpetual tax a never ending tax that will go on until eternity whether a facility is built or not.

The board has spent over $4 million dollars to date to try and get 24/7 emergency care and more primary care. We could have worked with legacy to expand the urgent care that is already in St. Helens for a fraction of the cost. Unfortunately this board refused to entertain this idea.
The board's propaganda about measure 5-209 taking away money from other special districts is simply bullshit. Other special districts such as fire, schools, safety etc are working and functional districts unlike their sister district of the hospital. Why should the taxpayers keep funding a black hole? I would say after 6 years the taxpayers should see something for their money, other than appeal after appeal. All the board is trying to do is to use scare tactics to sway the voters. This board has a problem with being candid to the people in their district. I would take what the hospital board has to say with a grain of salt.

There is no Oregon law that stipulates that there be only one issue on a ballot measure, the hospital board had a chance to challenge the ballot measure (5-209) before it was ok'd for voting a simple action on their part that they admit that they simply did not do it. And now they are complaining that the measure lacks legality again I call BULLSHIT on the hospital board.
No funds were supposed to be diverted to Public health yet this board swindled the money to Public health.

The hospital board took away their funds of about $20,000.00 from a small operating levy themselves in 2004 when they presented to the voters the NEW boundaries for the larger hospital district. The board wanted to disband the OLD hospital district and they got their wish when the voters' ok'd the new district. Yet one more major screw up this board has done and now wants to place the blame on supporters of 5-209.

Just like all the other screw-ups this board has routinely done blame it on the federal Government that US 30 is not a secondary road but a federal route. Closer than 35 miles from another facility, simply did not challenge 5-209 in its infancy, did not apply for grant money like other hospitals did, did not know that vibration from trains would screw up high dollar medical machines, did not know they stopped their small source of revenue when old district was disbanded, spent $2.2 million on site prep when advised not to, the list can go on and on for this board is nothing but screw ups.

They boast about creating 60 local family wage jobs, but they fail to say how many local jobs will be lost when Legacy closes down if the facility is built another skirt the issue and false projections from Jay Tappan and crew.
I urge everyone to ignore the propaganda and fabrications that are being spewed by a hospital board that has been spewing half-truths for over 6 years. Lets stop the pick pocketing by this board and vote YES on 5-209.