Milo voters unanimously approve Mayo merger with Northern Light Health
MILO — Citizens in Milo voted in favor of moving forward with a merger between Mayo Regional Hospital and Northern Light Health, voting 25-0 in favor of the merger at an April 23 special town meeting.
“This incredible show of support for the merger shows just how important Mayo Regional Hospital is to Milo and this region,” said Mayo Regional Hospital President and CEO Marie Vienneau. “With more votes scheduled over the next week, I hope more citizens read up on the issue at MayoHospitalFacts.com and finds time to cast an important vote in favor of this merger in their community.”
Because Mayo Regional Hospital is owned and operated as a Hospital Administrative District, its board is made up of members who are elected by the communities served by the hospital. HAD 4 is the only HAD left in Maine and is a quasi-governmental agency with taxing power. The effect of the merger would be to transform the HAD into a Maine charitable tax-exempt nonprofit corporation that would have a community-based board but would not have taxing authority. This would relieve the towns in the HAD from potential liability for the certain indebtedness of the hospital.
Milo’s vote is the fourth out of 13 communities. The Dexter Town Council unanimously approved the merger earlier in the month by a vote of 7-0, and Bradford voters approved the merger by a vote of 20-1. Cambridge is the only town to have voted against the merger so far, 22-12.
The remaining nine communities have all scheduled votes prior to April 30, although there is legislation being considered in Augusta that would mandate votes for all 13 communities to be held prior to May 7. The next votes are scheduled Thursday night. Monson residents can vote at a town meeting starting at 6 p.m. at the Monson Town Hall, 10 Tenney Hill Road, and Abbot residents can vote at a town meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Abbot Town Hall, 133 Main Road.
More details about the issue and votes can be found at www.MayoHospitalFacts.com.