RHCB funds on loan from county

by Julia Stuble

Spurred by rumors Sublette County may act as the “repo” man, Rural Health Care Board (RHCB) chairman Bill Budd appeared before the county commissioners last Tuesday to determine who was paying for the new clinics and ambulance barns. County commissioner chair Bill Cramer confirmed the rumor that the county was looking for payback on these buildings. “What we did, was we said we’d be the banker,” Cramer told Budd. “That was our understanding with the board before you were on it.”

Though Budd said he believed the RHCB would be amenable to returning excess money to the county, after the clinics were furnished and a fund set aside for maintenance, he told the commissioners he had understood that the county was funding the land and the buildings. Contrary to that belief, the county told him the money was a loan.

“This was not meant to be a burden on the district,” Cramer clarified, adding, “But after your big construction period is over, you won’t need two mill levies.” “I think it’s in the best interest of the county and the district to keep the buildings in the county,” commissioner John Linn noted.

Regardless, Budd and the commissioners agreed the cost of the facilities would be returned to the county’s coffers. “I will now go to the board and we’ll draft some sort of agreement so that if or when there is excess money, we will repay the county,” Budd said.

He had also appeared before the commissioners to request support for a new Marbleton ambulance barn. “We will support you on that,” Cramer said. Linn and Joel Bousman agreed. This support would also be returned when the RHCB could afford to.