Tumbleweed Film Festival
Music In the Park
drew box office crowds
Friday, August 9 at Tonasket’s History Park
See Page 3
SERVING WASHINGTON’S
OKANOGAN VALLEY
SINCE 1905
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Medicare funds to start trickling in
NEW POOL IN TONASKET?
North Valley Hospital in black, Long Term Care expected to be in red through June The Hospital division is $517,800 in the black while the Long Term Care division is $434,036 in the red. Also, charity care for the year stood about about $194,000 while bad debt is at $666,000. “In July, we’re anticipating another $229,000 of bad debt and charity care that will hit,” Verhasselt said. “Overall, our expenses compared to the budget, we are under in both divisions. But our revenues are under as well.”
BY BRENT BAKER BBAKER@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM
TONASKET - North Valley Hospital District’s warrants hovered at about $1.913 million at the time of their last Board of Commissioners meeting, but some relief could be on the way, according to Chief Financial Officer Helen Verhasselt. One significant factor in the stalled progress in reducing the hospital’s debt to Okanogan County has been a series Long Term Care funding of hold-ups in receiving Medicare and Verhasselt also Medicaid reimreported that she bursements, which had recently read accounts for a large article that gave chunk of the dis“We’re still dealing with the an an overview of trict’s cash flow. Medicare system glitch. nationwide funding Also on hold They are starting to release issues with Long was money to be Care facilidoled out to hospisome payments, but there Term ties. tals that have met is still that group of claims “Some of the Affordable Care that went through limbo... states they listed Act (“Obamacare”) anywhere from requirements for We’re supposed to be get- are $18.41 to $28.18 converting to a ting a bit bigger payment per resident per mandated electronthan we’ve been getting.” day underfunded ic records system. for each Medicaid “We’re still Helen Verhasselt, resident,” she said. dealing with the NVH Chief Financial Officer “Looking at our Medicare system cost report, our cost glitch,” Verhasselt per resident day is said. “They are starting to release some payments, but $170.70 but we’re reimbursed $142.65 (a there is still that group of claims that shortfall of $28.05).” Verhasselt added that the over-age-65 went through that is in limbo...We’re supposed to be getting a bit bigger payment demographic is expected to double by 2030. than we’ve been getting.” Medicare has also been holding off More struggles for Assisted Living on paying “Meaningful Use” reimbursements for the electronic records facilities Although the North Valley Assisted upgrades. “A couple of weeks ago I received Living has been closed for a few months, notice from Medicare that they agreed if efforts to save it had been successful it we’d be getting $582,000 for Meaningful might have been for naught if a new rule Use,” Verhasselt said, adding that the proposed by the Center for Medicaid and hospital should receive those funds by Medicare becomes reality. “(They) are proposing ... that if there Sept. 9 at the latest. “They did take off a couple of hundred is an assisted living on the same camthousand dollars in wages,” she said. pus or within a certain miles of an “Multiple people worked on it over a few Extended Care, they will no longer pay years... you can only include wages up the Medicaid rate on the Assisted Living,” to a certain point and then they exclude said CEO Linda Michel. “If anyone has someone in an Assisted Living near a everything after that.” Verhasselt also reported that for the hospital, they need to keep an eye on year through June, North Valley Hospital District is showing a net profit if $83,764. SEE MEDICARE | PG A4
Terry Mills/submitted photo
Without an actual swimming pool in Tonasket these days, local kids cooled off in a more temporary “pool” caused by combination of heavy rains in a construction zone by the PUD building on the corner of Western Ave.
District to call for bids for OHS gym roof repair
New elementary roof nearly finished By Gary A. DeVon Managing Editor
OROVILLE – While work is expected to wrap up on the new elementary school roof any time now, the Oroville School District wants to approve bids for the high school gymnasium roof by the board’s August meeting. In his report to the board, Superintendent Steve Quick said the district would not sign off on the elementary roof project until the district’s roofing consultant had marked everything off the punch list. “We had a water issue when there was a cloudburst and part of the roof that was in an uncovered area allowed
water into three of the classrooms,” said Quick. “So we are going to go ahead and repair and insulate all three classrooms and cover some vents that are no longer used. These classrooms should be easier to heat in the winter.” The superintendent said the goal was to have the water damage cleaned up and the classrooms restored by Aug. 18. The cost of the repairs will be paid from the roofer’s and district’s insurance. The school district has a $1000 deductible, according to Quick. “With the leftover money we home to do the elementary school bathrooms,” Quick said, adding that the roofing consultant had done a good job watching over where the money was being spent. The money being used to put the new roof on the elementary, as well as the high school gym, is coming from a voter-approved $1.2 million three-year levy.
“The new crow’s nest (at the football field) is proceeding well and Steve Thompson and John Hilderbrand are doing several projects throughout the two buildings,” said Quick. “Also, we will soon be getting the new playground equipment together and replacing the old railroad ties around the playground areas with rubber material.” Quick also commented on the new trees that have been planted to replace trees that were removed to make way for parking at the elementary school. He said that the district had lost a pump for irrigation and the trees were being watered by hand. In her report to the board, Elementary School Principal Joan Hoehn wanted to reiterate the district’s gratitude for the money to buy the new elementary
SEE ROOF | PG A2
Tonasket and Omak vote against putting 4.2% transpo tax on ballot BY BRENT BAKER BBAKER@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM
TONASKET - At their Tuesday, July 23 meeting, the Tonasket City Council discussed the upcoming Transportation Initiative which will be put to a vote in the fall. The Okanogan County Transportation Authority, the night prior to the city council meeting, passed its initiative to put a 0.4 percent sales tax increase on the ballot this fall for funds that would used to expand the county’s public transportation service. The city council had appointed Mayor Patrick Plumb as its representative to the transportation board and had directed him to vote against the initiative if the sales tax increase stood at 0.4 percent. “We seemed to be coming to a compromise,” Plumb said. “I was warming to it. When the suggestion was made via me and the gentleman from Omak, and an agreement somewhat from Twisp, at
running the levy at 0.2 percent - slowing down the progress but maintaining the services of Nutrition and OCTN.” The compromise didn’t happen, and the initiative passed 4-2, with Tonasket and Omak voting against it. “We were asked there to be positive about it because the decision had been made by the appointed board,” Plumb said. “So I will present it in an informational fashion. I was reminded that I was bound by the decision made by Council, and I respect that. There are a lot of issues that need to be discussed on it, but the decision is made and it will be on the ballot. “Also the 0.1 percent will be on the ballot for the criminal justice fund for jail and dispatch fees. Omak is also running a mosquito abatement tax. So their sales could be upwards of 8.4 percent. ours could be 8.2, which puts us into Pierce County levels of sales tax.” The council also held a public hearing on its six-year transportation plan and
OKANOGAN VALLEY GAZETTE-TRIBUNE Volume 109 No. 31
approved its water use efficiency plan. The biggest concern expressed was by Olson, who noted that a number of
“We seemed to be coming to a compromise.... The compromise didn’t happen and the initiative passed 4-2, with Tonasket and Omak voting against it.” Patrick Plumb, Tonasket Mayor
constituents had approached him about radio-read water meters that will soon be installed. “I hope the priority there is noticing when pipes are broken,” he said. “It’s not
a way to look at what people are doing (with their water). It’s my understanding it’s still couldn’t be done. You’ll still have to send someone out monthly. It’s not someone seeing on a computer screen ... I know it’s a concern of some residents and wanted to vocalize that.” “It’s a good point,” Plumb said. “We want to make sure we have a data protection plan.” “No one could sit here and push a button for that address and have that information come up,” said council member Jean Ramsey. “Thirty years from now you might want to say, man we’ve got the ability to do that, what did we do to protect that data?” Plumb said. “The PUD made those changes and they can and do have the ability to read that.” Tonasket police Sgt. Darren Curtis, who was in attendance, noted that regardless of the new meters, a subpoena would still be required for law enforcement to access water usage data.
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“We can’t arbitrarily come in and find out what someone’s usage is,” he said. “We still have to get a subpoena. Even if we could touch a button and get that information, we’d still have to go through the legal process.” Also, Plumb said that Charter Cable had asked that Tonasket (among other entities) write a letter to the PUD asking for use of “dark fiber” to provide highspeed cable internet service. The council voted 3-1 (with Olson opposing and Jill Vugteveen absent) to do so. The council also approved, unanimously, the use of the “small works option” bidding process to repair 700 feet of deteriorated sewer pipes on Winesap. The small works option would allow the city to select a number of local contractors to bid on the project. The city council next meets on Tuesday, Aug. 13, in the council chambers at the Tonasket City Hall.
Arts/Entertainment A3 Letters/Opinion A5 Community A6-7
Obituaries A7 Classifieds/Legals A8
Real Estate Cops & Courts
A9 A10