A group of 164 people attended Tuesday night’s Bowie Memorial Hospital Town Hall meeting hearing outside hospital professionals share their knowledge of rural hospitals and their financial struggles.

Members of the hospital board and hospital administrator conducted the meeting encouraging questions and discussion.

The hospital board has asked voters in the Bowie and Gold-Burg Independent School District to vote on creating a hospital taxing district within those boundaries. The election will be on Nov. 3.

The ballot states the maximum tax to be assessed by a district will be .40 cents per $100 in property value. The board has said it will present a tax rate of .1702 cents per $100.

If a district was approved it also would provide the same homestead exemption as the county, 20 percent or $5,000, which is greater and the over 65 exemption which is $5,000.

Local businessman and former Mayor Bert Cunningham moderated the meeting introducing the speakers and reading questions submitted by the audience. Read the full story in your Saturday News.

Pictured: Bowie Hospital Board of Trustees look out at the audience at Tuesday’s town hall meeting. (Photo by Barbara Green)