Crittenden County voters approve $30 million hospital plan

Crittenden County Judge Woody Wheeless said Wednesday that a plan to build a new hospital in West Memphis will soon be reality thanks to the overwhelming support of voters.

In unofficial numbers, the vote to direct an existing one-cent, five-year sales tax to build the hospital passed by a 6,185 to 1,280 margin (82.9 to 17.1%). The vote Tuesday will allow the county to redirect revenues from a July 2015 sales tax dedicated to building a hospital as well as paying back $30 million in revenue bonds to build a new hospital.

The sales tax, which has been collected since Jan. 1, is expected to bring in about $6 million a year over the five year period, Wheeless said. Also, the county will have a 2.75% sales tax rate while West Memphis will have a 9.75% and Marion will be 10.25%.

The county, close to Memphis, has been without a hospital since September 2014 when Crittenden Regional Hospital closed due to financial problems. Crittenden County voters then approved a five-year, one cent sales tax July 14 by a vote of 2,888 to 444 (86.7 to 13.3%) to run a hospital.

County officials then began working with Nashville-based Ameris Healthcare on a plan to run the hospital. However, negotiations fell through, officials said in December. Since then, county officials have worked with Memphis-based Baptist Healthcare on a plan to build a 50,000-square-foot hospital. Wheeless said there is a tentative plan to build the hospital on a 20-acre plot of land along 7th Street, just off I-55, in West Memphis.

The new hospital, which will be owned by the county and leased by Baptist,will have an emergency room as well as inpatient and outpatient care. However, the hospital will not compete with doctors office or hospitals in Memphis on specialty care. Wheeless said the project will have a quick turn around, with the hiring of an architect and putting the hospital project out for bid within 90 days.

In other votes, Crittenden County voters also re-elected incumbent Circuit Clerk Terry Hawkins. The Democrat defeated fellow Democrat Lisa Turner by a 2,234 to 1,996 margin (52.8 to 47.1%. No Republican filed for the seat last year.

Election officials in Craighead County were able Wednesday to deal with a software issue to complete counting votes in the county judge’s race. In unofficial numbers, Republican Jeff Presley led fellow Republican Garry Meadows 5,447 to 5,408 Tuesday night.

Election coordinator Jennifer Clack said officials worked Wednesday morning with election company ES&S to find the cause of the problem. The problem centered around having two polling sites listed on one memory card, Clack said.

The new numbers showed Presley winning with 5,553 votes (50.1%) followed by Meadows with 5,529 votes or 49.9%. Presley will face Democratic incumbent Ed Hill in November. The results will be certified March 11 at the Craighead County Election Annex in Jonesboro.

Voters in Cross and Greene counties picked district judges while voters in Sharp County picked a Republican nominee for county judge.

In Cross County, Mike Smith defeated two other challengers to win the seat. Smith, who takes office in January, won with 55.3% or 1,920 votes while David Biondolillo finished second with 23% or 800 votes. Vince Guest rounded out the voting with 752 votes or 22%.

Incumbent Dan Stidham won the district judge’s race in Greene County, defeating Lorie Whitby 4,754 to 3,018 (61% to 39%).

In Sharp County, Dustin Rogers defeated Phillip Hood 1,690 to 1,086 (61 to 39%) for the Republican nod for county judge. Rogers will face Democrat Jackie Pickett and independents Gene Moore and Jon Patterson this fall.