Voters approve one levy to fund struggling Ritzville hospital, reject another

The struggling East Adams Rural Healthcare got a mixed result Tuesday night with the approval of one levy and narrow rejection of another.

The proposed tax increases came before Adams County voters as the Ritzville hospital appeared near closure late last year. While no longer at risk of shuttering, East Adams said they needed the tax increase to ensure a smooth recovery.

Voters approved the levy supporting emergency medical services in the county but rejected the levy directly supporting hospital operations. The EMS levy received 55.2% of the vote in the special election, while the hospital levy garnered only 48.8%.

The approved levy will go into effect in 2027. Tax on assessed property will increase by 19 cents to a total of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The East Adams hospital board previously said they expect $200,000 to be raised for EMS.

If voters had approved the hospital levy, property taxes would have increased another 24 cents per $1,000 of property value. The hospital board estimated the levy would have raised nearly $300,000.

Board members argued hospital survival did not rely on the levies, but their passage would have shown community support for the hospital at an important time.

“An increase on our current levies could maybe leverage in the short time with our vendors and our community partners who want to see stability,” hospital board member John Kragt said at a meeting last year.