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To the Editor-

On August 20, the Portage County Board of Commissioners will decide whether to put a referendum on a new health center on the November ballot.

Wait a minute. Didn’t we already pass a referendum to continue operating the Portage County Health Care Center and build a new state-of-the-art facility? Then why do we need another referendum? Well, the costs have gone up.

Why? The answer lies partly in COVID-related costs, partly in the increased costs of continuing to operate in an inadequate building, and partly in the previous County Board’s refusal to let voters decide if they were willing to bear the additional costs. The longer you wait to start construction, the more it will cost.

Now we have a new County Board that may be more willing to involve the public in this important decision, are we finally ready to get started?

The planning process is already complete and the land is already ours, so all we have to do is break ground. Or not, depending on the referendum in November.

In any case, we must give the County Board approval for a referendum on the November ballot. If you would like to do this, please call or email your County Supervisor.

Contact information for your County Supervisor can be found at https://www.co.portage.wi.gov/171/County-Board or the county clerk’s office at 715 346-1351.

The resolution to be voted on can be found at https://portagecowi.portal.civicclerk.com/event/7097/files/attachment/8062.

Karlene Ferrante
Stevens Point