By Gene Kemmeter

The Commentary in the Oct. 19 Gazette erroneously reported the first Portage County referendum issue that voters will consider in the Nov. 6 General Election is to allow the county to exceed the tax levy limits to build a new Health Care Center.

The referendum actually asks voters to permit the county to exceed the property tax limits by $1.4 million from 2019 through 2022 to pay a portion of the operating costs of the Portage County Health Care Center.

The county has been studying options about the future of the Health Care Center for decades, and the situation has intensified in recent years as state reimbursement for Medicaid patients and a variety of other factors has failed to keep pace with the costs of operating a skilled nursing home facility.

So the referendum asks for taxpayers to commit to paying those expenses which have depleted the Health Care Center’s reserve fund in recent years while the county continues the study of options. The county’s Health Care Center is the only skilled nursing home facility in the county that is a Five Star facility operating without state citations.

The Wisconsin Legislature has dictated that Wisconsin local governments adhere to a property tax limit subject to growth in property values within a municipality, requiring local governments to get additional money through a referendum, hence, three of the referendum issues on the Nov. 6 ballot.