INSIDE
NEWS Valley View cuts 142 educational aides
SPORTS Moore tabbed POY
www.romeovillebugle.com
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Our Community, Our News
MARCH 28, 2013
Vol. 7 No. 38
THE HIGH COST OF
CHARITY
Local taxing bodies to pay for hospital’s new tax-exempt status By Laura Katauskas Staff Reporter
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state-wide debate over earning hospitals tax-exempt status resulted in a win for Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital and a shortage for all of its taxing bodies who now owe back taxes to the hospital totaling more than $5 million, excluding this year’s taxes. Carrying the brunt of the burden will be the Valley View School District 365u, to the tune of nearly $3.6 million, a refund from 2009, 2010 and 2011.The news came with little warning earlier this year when the Will County Treasurer sent out a letter informing the district and all other taxing bodies within the village of the of the required refund.
A new law signed in June 2012 expanded the definition of charity care. According to the new law, tax-exempt (non-profit) hospitals can keep their exemption if their uncompensated care figures equal or exceed the estimated property tax liability, which is determined by the fair market value from an impartial third party. After lobbying efforts, tax exemption qualifications have been expanded to include patients’ unpaid debts, the costs of elderly patient services not covered by Medicare, Medicaid patient services, and the costs that teaching hospitals incur to train physicians and conduct research. Adventist is now collecting property taxes paid for See CHARITY, page 3