Hospital bond request waits on a property-tax answer

A hospital financing plan could remove roughly $2 million a year from local property-tax collections, according to county estimates reported Sunday by Lookout Eugene-Springfield.

The report says commissioners postponed a decision on a $179 million tax-exempt bond request tied to McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center's proposed nonprofit ownership. They plan to return to it November 17 while officials seek a written answer on the tax losses.

Oregon Health Authority has approved the transaction with conditions. The west Eugene emergency department remains a proposal, not an open service.