There has been some confusion, misleading statements, and outright lies posted about the ballot measure by Ector County Hospital District called Proposition A on the ballot.
On this proposition, we are ONLY asking to raise the tax cap to .75, which is the cap originally authorized in the enabling legislation from 1989. The .75 cap also reflects the current cap of EVERY hospital in the Permian Basin region. The current cap of .15 is woefully inadequate to fund this hospital into the future
Many of you have heard of the proposal for MCH to help fund Odessa Fire & Rescue to add much needed EMS services in areas of Ector County which currently has only volunteer fire departments.
In order to do that we need to raise our effective tax rate to .16 cents per hundred of valuation. With our current cap tax rate of .15 we simply cannot do this. Next year we will ask the voters to approve an increase in the effective rate to fund this project.
The only question on the ballot this year is may we raise the cap tax rate to the cap rate for all of the hospitals we serve. Literally every single hospital district in the 17 surrounding counties has a current tax cap rate of .75 per hundred of valuation.
None of these moves or proposals will be possible without voter approval. The Ector County Hospital District Board of Directors, The Odessa City Council, and the Ector County Commissioners all worked together to come to an agreement we all feel is the best way to address the problem.
Quite frankly, this proposal is fixing a problem that has been well-known for many years, and no one has come up with a plan to fix the problem until now. The lack of EMS/Fire service literally affects every citizen of Ector County in one way or another.
Here are the real problems we are attempting to address:
Problem 1. There is currently no EMS or Fire coverage in the unincorporated parts of Ector County, other than the volunteer departments, which consist of hard-working, dedicated volunteer men and women serving their communities.
Problem 2. Odessa Fire and Rescue does respond to these emergency calls.
Problem 3. The taxpayers inside the city limits of Odessa are the ones paying for those emergency calls through higher city taxes.
Here are some significant and historic developments taking place at MCHS.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of Medical Center Health Systems, which opened its doors on December 5, 1949.
It is also the 35th anniversary of the Ector County Hospital District, established on November 7, 1989.
One of the major issues MCH is facing is funding for future projects and funding for excellence.
In 1989, when the hospital district was created, oil was $14 a barrel and the local economy was in a bust cycle. The Ector County Commissioners created this new hospital district and artificially set the tax cap rate at .15 cents per one hundred dollars of valuation. Even though the legislation that created the district allows up to a .75 cents per one hundred dollars.
The ECHD board has been diligently working with our neighbors, fostering a historic level of cooperation.
Here are a few key examples:
Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital:
- Formed in July 2020, in partnership with Midland Memorial Hospital and Encompass Health.
- This agreement freed up critical hospital beds during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and provided a safer environment for rehab patients.
Odessa College Nursing School:
- In January 2021, MCH partnered with Odessa College to help fund the new Wood Health Sciences Building.
- Equipped with the same technology and software as MCH, it prepares nursing students to seamlessly transition into our workforce. Many of you may have attended the Grand Opening of this building in September of this year.
Permian Basin Behavioral Health Center:
- A major collaboration with Midland Memorial Hospital and MCH.
- Supported by significant funding from the state of Texas and generous regional donors, this 200-bed hospital is scheduled to open in late 2025. It will serve those in our community who need help the most.
It is important to remember MCH is the regional medical and trauma center for the largest geographical trauma service area in the United States. When the surrounding hospitals in this region have cases that require more care they transfer those patients to MCH.
What I find particularly puzzling is why anyone would be opposed to increasing the quality and response time for emergency services. If this was your emergency call I can assume we would all want the fastest response possible.
For my family I want simply the best medical treatment available. For the Citizens of Ector County and the region we serve, you deserve to have the best medical care possible. For this reason I encourage you to vote yes for Proposition A on the ballot.
For more information you can go to mchodessa.com and click on the Fire and EMS Information tab at the top of the page.
Wallace Dunn
