Keep Our Community Strong

Editor:

The Cedar County Bowl is coming up in a few weeks. There’s no better rival or competition than when our towns play each other. The atmosphere is always exciting and great to teach us things about life.

Hi, I’m Joe Barger. I’ve lived in Cedar County my entire life. I went to school at El Dorado Springs. I’ve owned a family business, Mike & Joe’s Service, for 30 years. I’ve been the voice of the Bulldogs on radio for 20 years. I’m very proud of our community and our county.

I’m asking all of you to please pull together as a team and help us save our hospital. Cedar County Hospital is a huge asset to our county. It employs 126 people as of today. It’s payroll is 3.2 million dollars yearly. It gives people jobs form all parts of our county and generates a lot of good revenue for our county.

The hospital that opened in 1960, has served our area for over 59 years.

Cedar County Memorial Hospital is a critical assess hospital. It provides a significant amount of care to the elderly and low income who can’t afford to travel outside their community. For victims of stroke, heart attack and other emergencies, this hospital could be the difference between life and death. It provides rehab facilities for people recovering from injury. Cedar County Memorial Hospital has operated the Cedar County Health Department since 1995.

With more revenue, both the hospital and health department could do more things for the county. Cedar County Hospital hasn’t asked for a tax levy in 58 years. But with time, everything has changed in the medical field. We are in need of funds to keep the hospital and health department alive and serving our communities.

The tax levy that is being asked for, 0.6112, would generate approximately $795,000 annually. The current levy is 0.1528 which generates $265,000. The difference of $530,000 would help with this year’s budget of $13,800,000. The levy will raise our taxes, an estimated $80 annually if your home is valued at $92,000.

It would be absolutely devastating to our county to lose the health department and the hospital. So I’m asking everyone to look at the big picture and help provide health care for our communities and our county. I’m proud to say I’m from Cedar County. We have a very good place to raise our families and to live in rural Missouri. Please vote “yes” on Aug. 6, to help keep our communities strong.

Joe Barger,

El Dorado Springs