[Vision2020] NSA

[Mark Solomon]

Barbara,

It is very likely that my knowledge re Gritman is 
out of date and if so will be pleased to be 
corrected, but when I was county commissioner in 
the early 90's we had several discussions with 
Gritman about their property tax exemption. In 
particular, we noticed that in the two years 
since the Gritman nonprofit board had changed 
their administrative relationship from one of 
hiring/supervising a hospital director to a 
contractual relationship with a hospital 
management corporation, the amount of charitable 
care absorbed by Gritman had dramatically 
decreased with a corresponding increase for 
requests to the county property taxpayers to fund 
the indigent patient care as is provided for in 
Idaho Code. The result, at that time, was Gritman 
agreeing to increase the amount of indigent 
client costs absorbed internally.

I have no idea what the status of that handshake 
agreement is today or the nature of the contract 
relationship, if it still exists, with the 
for-profit hospital management corporation 
administering Gritman. The commissioner's efforts 
of the early 90's never progressed to the point 
where we received a copy of the contract before 
the issue was, at that moment, satisfactorily 
resolved.

It would be valuable for the community to know if 
the contract is for a set amount, set amount plus 
performance additions, percentage based, or 
something else. IF there is a significant profit 
motive built into the administrative contract, 
the concept of Gritman as a nonprofit community 
hospital worthy of its current property tax 
exemption might stand examination.

Mark Solomon

At 6:55 PM +0000 2/24/05, Barbara Richardson Crouch wrote:
>Phil,
>
>Gritman is a not-for-profit corporation.  The hospital is controlled and
>operated by a board of directors comprised of community members.  Gritman
>provides millions of dollars per year in unreimbursed care to our local
>residents. 
>
>Gritman provides various services and supports downtown events.  Gritman
>provided hot chocolate, coffee, and cookies for participants of the
>Holiday Parade.  Gritman also provides hot dogs and drinks for the
>Homecoming Parade.  Plus Gritman supports finacially many, many events
>throughout the community.
>
>Barbara Crouch
>
>
>
>>  Kai - If NSA  and Grittman (since Grittman is  FOR PROFIT) were paying
>>  property taxes there would not need to be  a BID.
>>
>>  Phil
>> 
>>  -------Original Message-------
>> 
>>  From: Kai Eiselein
>>  Date: 02/24/05 09:06:41
>>  To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>>  Subject: [Vision2020] NSA
>> 
>>  Rose, you may want to take a closer look at the BID. I am rather
>ambivile> nt
>>  about it, but I did write an article in the December 9 issue of the
>Latah>
>>  Eagle about the process.
>>  According to the documents I have, a tax exempt entity is not exempt
>from>
>>  the a BID levy. That would include New St. Andrews College and Gritman
>to>
>>  name a couple. The BID in Twin Falls includes the administrative office
>o> f
>>  the school district, as I recall, and they are subject to the BID levy
>as>
>>  well.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>  "Those who fixate on the wrongs of the past are blind to possibilities
>of>
>>  the future."
>> 
>>  Kai T. Eiselein
>>  Editor
>>  Latah Eagle
>>  521 S. Jackson St.
>>  Moscow, ID 83843
>>  (208) 882-0666 Fax (208) 882-0130
>>  editor at lataheagle.com
>> 
>> 
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