EDITORIAL: Jackson BOC shouldn’t bailout BJC; maybe Commerce should
The postponement of a bailout vote for BJC Medical Center Monday night by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners just extended debate over a very divisive political issue in the county.
The core of this debate is whether or not the Jackson BOC should, along with Banks County, bailout the faltering hospital from its financial hole.
The short answer should be “No,” but the political game being played is muddying the water.
What’s really happening here is regional politics where the east side of Jackson County where the hospital is located — Commerce — is lobbying the central and western areas of the county for the proposed bailout.
Understandably, there is more political support in the Commerce area for a bailout. Commerce leaders fear the loss of a long-standing community institution and the jobs it provides as the town’s largest employer. In addition, more of that area’s residents actually use the facility than other areas of Jackson County.
In the central and western areas of the county — Jefferson, Braselton, North and South Jackson — there is little support for a bailout of BJC. Few people in those areas use the facility. In addition, that area makes up the county’s largest population and tax base and people in the area are increasingly sensitive to their tax dollars being used for facilities on the other side of the county.
Supporters of the bailout argue, however, that the entire county should be willing to bail BJC out of its financial morass for the greater good. Bailout supporters say that Commerce property owners pay taxes for county infrastructure they will never use, so turnabout is fair play.
But that’s an apple-and-oranges comparison. Commerce area residents may pay for a road in West Jackson, but they help elect BOC members who made that decision.
With BJC, those living outside the Commerce area have little input since they have no direct representation on the BJC Authority. BJC is only nominally a joint city-counties venture; the true emphasis in the name is “Commerce.” A vast majority of authority members either live or work in Commerce and manage the facility from that narrow geographic perspective.
Consider what’s really being asked: Banks County appoints one-third (3) of the BJC Authority members and is being asked to fund only 25 percent of the bailout; Jackson County appoints one-third (3) of BJC Authority members, but is being asked to fund 75 percent of the bailout; and Commerce has one-third of BJC Authority members (3) but is not being asked for a dime. Something’s wrong with that picture.
In addition to these representation inequities, BJC offered no strategic recovery plan to its request for county bailout funds. If BJC leaders have a plan, they aren’t sharing it in public.
While the hospital has been in talks with prospective buyers for several months, there are no apparent offers on the table and there is no vision outlined from the BJC Authority of how the hospital plans to survive over the long-term.
In fact, one has to wonder if the BJC Authority has a clear vision. Two years ago, it pushed hard for the county to fund a new multi-million dollar hospital just down the road from the current facility. Leaders attempted to sell that as the solution for the hospital’s long history of problems.
But just think of where Jackson County would be today had it gone along with that idea; a half-built new facility for an organization that can’t afford to pay for its current operations.
Given all of this, it doesn’t make sense for the Jackson County BOC to bailout BJC Medical Center. Most of the county doesn’t have a seat at the table to oversee how the tax dollars are spent; there’s no long-term plan in place; and the changing health care market doesn’t bode well for the future of community hospitals.
What might make sense, however, is for the BJC Authority to go to the Commerce City Council and seek a bailout from that government.
Commerce has the most to lose if the facility closes and more citizens of Commerce actually use the facility than other areas of the county. In addition, Commerce has one-third of the authority’s board members, but does not put any money into BJC. If Commerce leaders want to save BJC, they should be willing to put up funding for such a gamble.
There are no good answers to the BJC financial crisis. Several decades of dubious management decisions, along with massive changes in the health care market, have led to this predicament.
The only thing clear today is that it is wrong to ask people who will never use BJC, and who have no say or influence over its management, to pay for a bailout.
The short answer should be “No,” but the political game being played is muddying the water.
What’s really happening here is regional politics where the east side of Jackson County where the hospital is located — Commerce — is lobbying the central and western areas of the county for the proposed bailout.
Understandably, there is more political support in the Commerce area for a bailout. Commerce leaders fear the loss of a long-standing community institution and the jobs it provides as the town’s largest employer. In addition, more of that area’s residents actually use the facility than other areas of Jackson County.
In the central and western areas of the county — Jefferson, Braselton, North and South Jackson — there is little support for a bailout of BJC. Few people in those areas use the facility. In addition, that area makes up the county’s largest population and tax base and people in the area are increasingly sensitive to their tax dollars being used for facilities on the other side of the county.
Supporters of the bailout argue, however, that the entire county should be willing to bail BJC out of its financial morass for the greater good. Bailout supporters say that Commerce property owners pay taxes for county infrastructure they will never use, so turnabout is fair play.
But that’s an apple-and-oranges comparison. Commerce area residents may pay for a road in West Jackson, but they help elect BOC members who made that decision.
With BJC, those living outside the Commerce area have little input since they have no direct representation on the BJC Authority. BJC is only nominally a joint city-counties venture; the true emphasis in the name is “Commerce.” A vast majority of authority members either live or work in Commerce and manage the facility from that narrow geographic perspective.
Consider what’s really being asked: Banks County appoints one-third (3) of the BJC Authority members and is being asked to fund only 25 percent of the bailout; Jackson County appoints one-third (3) of BJC Authority members, but is being asked to fund 75 percent of the bailout; and Commerce has one-third of BJC Authority members (3) but is not being asked for a dime. Something’s wrong with that picture.
In addition to these representation inequities, BJC offered no strategic recovery plan to its request for county bailout funds. If BJC leaders have a plan, they aren’t sharing it in public.
While the hospital has been in talks with prospective buyers for several months, there are no apparent offers on the table and there is no vision outlined from the BJC Authority of how the hospital plans to survive over the long-term.
In fact, one has to wonder if the BJC Authority has a clear vision. Two years ago, it pushed hard for the county to fund a new multi-million dollar hospital just down the road from the current facility. Leaders attempted to sell that as the solution for the hospital’s long history of problems.
But just think of where Jackson County would be today had it gone along with that idea; a half-built new facility for an organization that can’t afford to pay for its current operations.
Given all of this, it doesn’t make sense for the Jackson County BOC to bailout BJC Medical Center. Most of the county doesn’t have a seat at the table to oversee how the tax dollars are spent; there’s no long-term plan in place; and the changing health care market doesn’t bode well for the future of community hospitals.
What might make sense, however, is for the BJC Authority to go to the Commerce City Council and seek a bailout from that government.
Commerce has the most to lose if the facility closes and more citizens of Commerce actually use the facility than other areas of the county. In addition, Commerce has one-third of the authority’s board members, but does not put any money into BJC. If Commerce leaders want to save BJC, they should be willing to put up funding for such a gamble.
There are no good answers to the BJC financial crisis. Several decades of dubious management decisions, along with massive changes in the health care market, have led to this predicament.
The only thing clear today is that it is wrong to ask people who will never use BJC, and who have no say or influence over its management, to pay for a bailout.
If I was the city of Commerce and I had to bailout BJC on my own? I would change the name it would no longer have anything to do with Banks or Jackson County I would change it to something like: Commerce Memorial or Commerce Regional Hospital or Commerce Medical Center.Then when someone came to the hospital if their address was Commerce they would be charged a reduced rate,if you lived outside Commerce you would pay more. I know some of you think that's not fair but Commerce tax payers paid for it so they should get a discount.Like an old saying"You gotta take care of your own"
#2 The other idiotocidy of giving discounts to anyone who lives in Commerce is pure stupidity.........
#3 If the people who uses the facility would pay there bills maybe the hospital would not be in the trouble it is in.......
I'm all for Commerce taking over the hospital but until Banks County is finished paying the initial and ORIGINAL debt or is forgiven this debt, you ain't taking nothing. And you won't be changing any names. And you won't be charging Commerce residence less. But then that maybe is what has been happening to cause this fiasco.
Jackson County bailout - might not happen.
Commerce bailout - probably won't happen.
Banks County bailout, - (as the majority citizens in
Banks fall over with laughter) - don't hold your breath! Besides, we've just learned of a multi-million dollar shortfall
in Banks budget. I don't much think BJC is going to get
tax money before the budgets, but then again our elected
officials have done dummer things and unless the
commisioners want a quick and easy unemployment check for themselves.
(for them).
Also, if you live in Commerce, you DO NOT pay Jackson County School taxes; you pay Commerce School taxes.
It amazes me how you continue to post your rants on here and yet you contradict yourself about your own points, or you put information on here that is completely incorrect and shows that you only react to reading Mike's Editorial instead of getting any facts and making an informed statement. You continue to say that we West Jackson folks are "crybabies" or we "cry" about anything you seem to disagree with. We aren't crying, we are doing what is RIGHT by saying that we do not feel it is right that a board that we cannot even serve on is begging us to give them tax money to keep them afloat. "Taxation without representation" was one of the principle issues that led to our founding fathers to break with Britain, and yet here you are saying to "just deal with it" because it does not affect you. I would be just as against saving Northeast Ga, Athens Regional, St. Mary’s, Barrow Medical, Gwinnett Medical, and Cooke County (that’s in Chicago) when we have no control over “the plan” to spend our money.
You also said why should yall pay if you don't use our hospital well why should we pay to fix your roads and stuff like that? We don't drive on your roads why should we care. But the tax money goes into one pot and is given out to fix problems in the county. THE WHOLE COUNTY and the last time I looked Commerce and West Jackson were in the same county? If I'm wrong here someone correct me?
I think if the bailout does happen, BJC's operations needs to be looked at closely. I do however, disagree w/ your logic in the reasons you are giving against the bailout...
Not everything your taxes help pay are you going to use. That's just how it is.
What about all the people who don't have children, but pay school taxes?
Granted City residents are taxed on city schools and county residents on the county schools. HOWEVER, COMMERCE RESIDENTS pay taxes on the COUNTY SCHOOL BOND #1. Who does that benefit?
It goes both ways!!!!!!!!
All the cities in the county are taxed a county tax which in turn pays for the maintenance and operaions of the county. Whereas, they are most likely using more city resources than county resources. County residents aren't charged a city tax? Would you like to start?
Here's a quote from fellow mainstreet writer Mark Beardsley in his article about a week ago, "People in West Jackson may feel it is inappropriate for their tax dollars to support a medical center they never use, but the drinking water they get from the Bear Creek Reservoir is heavily subsidized by tax dollars from Commerce, Nicholson and Maysville — which will never use that facility. Most Jackson County residents do not use the county transportation system, the health and mental health departments and the recreation facilities — and they all operate at a tax-funded deficit every year — but we all recognize those as institutions and services necessary to the general welfare of the public. None is as important as BJC Medical Center."
But that’s an apple-and-oranges comparison. Commerce area residents may pay for a road in West Jackson, but they help elect BOC members who made that decision.
If the rest of my facts are straight, Mr. Massey made his case to the Jackson County BOC. How then is this an apple-and-oranges comparison? Don't people in the west side of the county elect people to the BOC just like people in the east side of the county do? The decision to bail BJC out would have to be made by the same BOC which chose to build that road on the west side of the county you mentioned. When the same people make two choices that is like comparing apples-and-apples to me.
This is hardly a reason to risk millions of dollars.
They can't even find one general surgeon! Not one!
Bankruptcy court knows how to handle this problem. If Athens Regional or N.E. Georgia won't buy them out then why would we poor suckers in Jackson County????!!!!
I don't even understand why Commerce wants it. And they probably will realize they don't when they figure out they'll have to pay for it themselves.
You can sell that snake oil to Banks County, not here in Central and West Jackson County.
I recognize no such thing. I am me. I have no concern for the word "we".