Starke County Council Again Votes Down Amendment For Hospital Evaluation

The Starke County Council failed again this week to pass an amendment of the ordinance regarding the use of Save the Hospital Funds. The amendment would have authorized the use of up to $50,000 in Save the Hospital Funds to hire a consultant to evaluate the hospital’s value.

This information would be used in the possible sale of the hospital to IU Health La Porte or other interested buyers. IU Health La Porte has already made an offer.

The amendment needed a super majority of the council to pass the measure and came up one vote short. The vote was 4-1 with Judy Benninghoff voting against. It would have taken five of the seven-member board to pass, and because councilmen Mark Smith and Marvin McLaughlin were absent, it was defeated.

Council President David Pearman said he expects the measure to eventually pass.

Benninghoff took a couple of minutes to consider her vote, realizing that the measure would be defeated with a no vote, but ultimately voted against it.