Campaign To Dissolve Hospital District Upheld Silver Valley Petition Will Get Public Hearing In April; Vote Likely In May

Shoshone County Prosecutor Dan McGee has upheld a petition aimed at dissolving the East Shoshone Hospital District.

Signed by more than 10 percent of the district’s registered voters, the petition was turned in to the county two weeks ago. Its supporters contend that tax dollars could be used more efficiently if Shoshone County had one hospital district, instead of two.

“The county said I needed 10 percent of the registered voters or 10 percent of the property owners,” said Jon Ruggles, who authored the petition.

But John Magnuson, the hospital district’s attorney, claimed that Idaho law required the number of signatures to equal 10 percent of the district’s registered voters and taxpayers. He wrote to Shoshone County Clerk Marcia Wingfield on March 7 to draw the matter to the county’s attention.

Wingfield called the state code confusing at best. “If you read one section of the code, it says ‘or.’ If you read on, it says ‘and,”’ she said.

The law has never been tested, apparently.

Shoshone County has about 3,650 property owners and 3,530 qualified electors. According to Magnuson, no one knows whether the petition should include 10 percent of each category, or 10 percent in total.

“There’s zero precedent on the issue. But if the county sticks with the interpretation that 360 signatures are enough, they’re just wrong,” Magnuson said.

Tuesday, the treasurer’s office set about checking whether the original list of names contained 10 percent of each category.

It did. And according to Shoshone County Prosecutor Dan McGee, that meant it satisfied the statute.

“We examined the petition in the same manner that the petition was examined at the formation of the district,” McGee said. “If people fell into both groups, we counted them in both groups.”

Shoshone County commissioners will continue with their plan to hold a public hearing about the dissolution of the district on April 11. Then, they’ll decide whether the issue should appear on the ballot in May.