Barbara Doseck, Dayton’s law director, on Wednesday night said that the Clergy Community Coalition submitted petitions earlier this month that contained enough valid signatures for the public hospital levy initiative to move forward and appear on the Nov. 4 ballot.
The coalition tried multiple times to get the Dayton City Commission to put the levy measure on the ballot, but it failed to get the support of the majority of the commission.
The coalition this time was able to collect enough valid signatures to bypass the commission’s lack of support for the move.
After getting 1,250 valid signatures that were turned in back in June, coalition supporters successful obtained an additional 1,250 valid signatures from other Dayton electors within a required 20-day timeframe.
The Dayton City Commission on Wednesday night approved an emergency resolution declaring it necessary to levy a tax in excess of the 10-mil limitation to put a hospital levy on the ballot.
Supporters say levy funds could be used to help secure other partners for a public hospital project. They say large parts of west and northwest Dayton are a health care desert, and there is an urgent need for a public hospital.
But opponents say the ballot proposal is highly unrealistic and $2 million in funding annually is a drop in the bucket of what’s needed to build, staff and operate a hospital. They say the coalition is well-intentioned but lacks a real plan for a new hospital.
About the Author
