Bradley Seeks Clarification on Hospital’s Tax Status at YMCA
By Randall Higgins, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.
Feb. 10–CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The State Board of Equalization has been asked to determine if Sky-Ridge Medical Center can use a portion of the Cleveland Family YMCA without paying property taxes.
“We received an inquiry about that and forwarded it to the state,” Bradley County Property Assessor Stanley Thompson said last week.
Since the Board of Equalization has only one office serving the entire state, he said, it may take some time before the question is resolved.
Bud Hope, a Cleveland resident and YMCA member, posed the question in January.
Bradley County sold the hospital to Brentwood-based Community Health Systems in September 2005.
Mr. Hope pointed out the Cleveland YMCA, a branch of the Chattanooga Metropolitan YMCA, signed a 20-year agreement with Bradley Memorial Hospital to provide physical and occupational therapy at the YMCA.
But since then, he noted, the nonprofit county-owned hospital has been sold to a for-profit company that now operates the hospital as SkyRidge.
“I believe this is in violation of the city, county and state law,” Mr. Hope said in a newspaper letter to the editor in January. He later asked Mr. Thompson for an opinion.
Mr. Thompson said Thursday his office has received a copy of a letter from the State Board of Equalization to the YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga.
The letter refers to a 2003 tax exemption approved by the state board.
“The Bradley County assessor’s office has reported that a portion of this property may now be used by a separate entity, perhaps Ocoee Hospital Corporation D/B/A SkyRidge Hospital. Please confirm whether there are new uses other than those approved for exemption in our determination letter of August 12, 2003, or other entities using the property under a lease or other agreement,” State Board of Equalization staff attorney wrote to Calvin Smith, director of the Metropolitan YMCA.
Telephone calls and e-mail messages to the Community Health Systems corporate office were not returned on Friday.
The County Commission is scheduled to meet at the hospital Monday for an update from hospital officials on changes made since the purchase.
IF YOU GO
The Bradley County Commission will meet at noon Monday at SkyRidge Medical Center for an update on changes made at the former county-owned hospital.
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