Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1915 — About the Proposed County Hospital. [ARTICLE]

About the Proposed County Hospital.

The county commissioners at their session Tuesday granted the petition filed which asks for the establishment of a county hospital in Rensselaer and the levying of a tax ofi'l mill on each slon valuation for the maintenance of same. The petition asks for the expenditure of not to exceed SIO,OOO for such an institution. A board of trustees were appointed as shown in the report of the commissioners’ proceedings in another column, whose duty* it will be, to meet and organize within Hi days after their appointment, elect one of their number as chairman, one as secretary and such other officers as they may deem necessary. The county treasurer will be the treasurer of the board of trustees. The trustees serve without compensation except that they are paid for cash expenditures actually made for personal expenses incurred as such trustee. This board of trustees make and adopts by-laws, regulations, etc., and have exclusive control of all money collected for the hospital and of the purchase of site and of construction of buildings, etc. They also appoint the superintendent or matron and the necessary assistants and fix their compensation, and have power to remove such appointees. They shall hold meetings at least once a month and shall keep a complete record of all the proceedings and tile a report of receipts and expenditures during the year with the county commissioners in January of each year. This board so appointed shall serve until the next general election. The law permits the issuing of bonds for the purchase of ground and erection of buildings, and permits the condemnation of ground that cannot be purchased on an agreed price. The county council may appropriate each year in addition to the tax hereinbefore provided for not exceeding 5 per cent of its general fund for the improvement and maintenance of such hospital. Just what is intended to be done to provide funds for the purchase ot a site and the erection and equipment of building, The Democrat is unable to say. We believe, however, that before this thing is ended it will prove quite an expensive proposition to Jasper county taxpayers and we do not think that there is much real necessity for such an institution here. We are within two hours or less distance of good hospitals at Lafayette and Chicago, and it is probable that many of the patients we might have would go to those places anyhow. The maximum amount asked for in the petition, SIO,OOO, will not build and equip much of a building and purchase the ground therefor. Many taxpayers when they understand the matter, will be opposed to the issuing of more bonds, in view of the heavy taxes we already have and the fact that there is some $99,000 in court house bonds still unpaid and outstanding. We think that most people who signed this petition did so without giving the matter the consideration they should, but, the order has now been made by the county commissioners acting on said petition and we shall have to make the best of it, unless the board should find that the expense will exceed the amount asked for in the petition, and dismiss the matter entirely.