Voters will have a chance to decide whether to expand two hospital service areas this fall. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly voted unanimously Tuesday to pass an ordinance that will put two propositions on the ballot. One would propose to shift the Central Peninsula Hospital service area south and the other would propose shifting the South Peninsula Hospital service area to include areas on the south side of Kachemak Bay.
South Peninsula Hospital originally opposed moving the CPH boundary line because it would mean a loss of funding for the hospital via property taxes. However, with the addition of the areas south of Kachemak Bay, the move will likely be revenue neutral.
Voters within each service area and the affected areas outside of their boundaries would need to approve both expansions separately this fall.
For example, voters within the SPH service area and the communities on the south side of Kachemak Bay affected by its expansion would vote on that proposition and vice versa for those in the CPH service area. However, voters affected by the expansion of CPH’s service area would vote on both questions since they currently reside within the SPH service area.
The vote could result in four different outcomes: CPH or SPH’s boundaries could expand while the other could remain unchanged. There’s also the possibility that voters could decline to expand either boundary or approve the expansion of both. The propositions will be on the ballot in October.
