Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Staff writer
Roosevelt County Commissioners said Tuesday they were reluctantly adopting a notice of intent to raise gross receipts taxes 1/12th percent of the gross receipt tax.
The tax raise is mandated by a new law enacted by the Legislature to fund the state’s new Safety Net Care Pool.
Roosevelt County Manager Charlene Webb said the amount of money the county will have to pay from its gross receipts tax is $189,000, which is an eighth of the county’s existing indigent health fund.
“We don’t have to do an additional tax at the moment and we have three years to decide if we do,” Webb said.
Following a legislative battle county governments had with the state in deciding who should be responsible to fund the pool that generates a federal match for state rural hospitals, lawmakers agreed counties should impose a 1/12th percent gross receipts tax.
The new fund is non-reverting. Money raised from the new county tax will be transferred to the state’s Human Services Department, then be distributed to qualifying hospitals under an agreement with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
SNCF is replacing the Sole Community Provider program which supplemented quarterly funds for Roosevelt General Hospital to help pay for Medicaid, Medicare and indigent patients with a help of a $3 to $1 federal match.
The county will have to pay in quarterly installments to the state by the end of March, June September and December of each year.
Webb said the ordinance, which will be up for adoption at the county’s next meeting, says the county is against it as it is an unfunded mandate and it places the burden to pay for indigent care on Roosevelt County and its residents.
“The Sole Community Provider program was a voluntary program that not all counties had to do, but now counties must pay,” Webb said.
There is opposition to the bill as some counties refused to pass the ordinance according to Webb.
“The reason why many are against this is because we don’t know how much we are getting back. We don’t know if it will be $3 to every $1 we give. It is up in the air right now,” Webb said.
Many of the commissioners voiced their disagreement of the ordinance.
“We could be putting in $1 million and the state could only bring us back $200,000. We just don’t know,” said Commissioner Scott Burton.
“The formula for how much money we are going to get back has changed so many times to suit the people who were asking. Before, you knew what you were paying into it,” said Commission Chairman Kendell Buzard.
Commissioner Jake Lopez asked Webb if they could turn down the ordinance, but Webb said they had to pass it or it would be in violation of state law.