Dear Bristow Friends and Citizens:
As many of you know, in just a few weeks, we will ask the citizens of Bristow to consider whether to add a one-cent sales tax. Half of the sales tax would help with parks so that we can offer children, teens, and families several different activities around our town. The other half will be used to help provide funds for the hospital. I think these are all things that most of the citizens can agree are good for Bristow, and necessary to our growth. That said, I also understand that many of you have questions and concerns from the previous sales tax that was passed in 2009, but seemed to fall short of expectations. I understand your worries. I will do my best to explain what happened with that situation, but I also want you to know that I have an open door policy and I invite you to visit with me any time you have questions or concerns about what is going on in our town. The only way to make Bristow the best it can be is for us to work together toward that goal!
In 2009, when the original sales tax was added to "save the hospital," I believe that is exactly what it did. I believe that if the sales tax had not passed when it did, the hospital would have closed and never been able to reopen its doors as a functioning hospital again. No, it did not raise enough revenue to fund a new hospital, and I know that for the last few years, that has been a source of frustration to many of you, but I can promise the money is very much accounted for, and the actions of all parties involved were done both legally, and with the best of intentions. I think that a lot of confusion came because many citizens believed that the sales tax was solely for constructing a new hospital, but in truth, the sales tax also provided for the operational costs of the hospital. Whether you agree or disagree that this was the right way to approach this situation, I think we can all be thankful that an extra penny was able to keep our hospital open and keep a large number of our citizens working. If you know anyone in the healthcare business, especially those in rural facilities, they can tell you how tough it is to sustain a hospital in a small town. Bristow Medical Center has taken many hits with the restructuring of medical insurance, new codes, and state inspections that forced some services to no longer be available, but they have, with your help, managed to stay open, providing care, and offering important services right here in town.
Around this time last year, instead of asking for the penny sales tax to be extended, I allowed it to expire, and here I am asking you to vote on April 6th. The proposed sales tax will not be used to fund hospital operations. While the sales tax will not generate enough money to actually build a new hospital, it will be used to help secure funding for a new hospital. A new hospital will be built up to code, will be built by or contracted to a healthcare company to operate, and will offer more services, many of which bring revenue.
In all honesty, I understand that this is a situation with lots of working parts. I am asking you to help me keep Bristow moving forward by providing opportunities for more jobs and businesses. If you have any questions or want to just talk, please contact me or any Council Member. Please remember to vote on April 6th.
Mayor Rick Pinson