In less than two months, Bourbon County residents will head to the polls to decide the fate of a county-wide sales tax. “We want the public involved in this. We want them to help make this decision. That’s why we put it to a vote,” said Jim Harris, Bourbon County Commissioners Chairman. The one-quarter cent tax would be used to establish and operate an emergency department in Bourbon County. “We’re negotiating today with health care providers. We’ve got to show that we will have some funding to sign agreements with them because they’re not going to come here and $750,000 a year just because they like us,” said Harris. Bourbon County hasn’t had emergency health care services since Via Christi closed its emergency department in Fort Scott in December of last year. “Our goal is to have the special election get the funds coming in. We are negotiating with some health care providers today, 24 seven So we’ve got to start raising funds because we know we’re going to move forward. We have to subsidize it,” said Harris. If approved, the sales tax would last five years and is expected to generate 750 thousand dollars.
Source: KSNF/KODE
