Community members in Toppenish, Wash., are looking into creating a public hospital district to restore labor and delivery services to Astria Toppenish Hospital, YakTriNews reported Jan. 11.
The initial boundaries being explored for the district encompass a $4 million tax base, the report said. The district would exclude the sovereign Yakama Nation's lands from taxation while including its residents in the creation process.
If community members agree on a plan and set of boundaries, the county's board of commissioners would need to agree before Feb. 24 for the measure to make it onto the next ballot, the report said.
Voters would then have the final word on April 25 whether the public hospital district is established.