The St. Mary Chamber of Commerce has released a statement in support of a tax millage that would support the maintenance and operation of Ochsner St. Mary Hospital. While Ochsner’s lease agreement with Hospital Service District 2 of St. Mary Parish calls for Ochsner to invest $250,000 per year to maintain the hospital, HSD 2 officials say Ochsner has invested much more than that since taking over the hospital operations in 2019. The building itself is owned by the taxpayers of Hospital Service District 2, which is comprised of all areas east of the Calumet Cut and through Amelia.
Voters will go to the polls on Saturday, December 7 to decide on the proposition which would reinstate the 9 mills that the community used to pay to support the hospital. It was discontinued 20+ years ago and St. Mary HSD 2 says it has not had the funds to make major improvements to the facility.
HSD 2 said the millage, if passed by the voters, would produce approximately $3.4 million per year for a 10 year period. The funds would go directly to St. Mary HSD 2 and through a legal agreement would send the funds to Ochsner Health for the purposes stated in the proposition. HSD 2 officials say the millage would cost the average homeowner an average of $45 per year.
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