The controversial discussions on the possible sale or lease of OCH Regional Medical Center continued Monday night.
The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 to move forward with a request for proposals for the sale or lease of OCH. District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery voted no, and District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard, one of the most vocal opponents of the sale or lease was absent.
“I think everything is running in a great direction,” said Board of Supervisors President Orlando Trainer, among the most vocal supporters of a sale or lease. “We’re going to do everything within our power to make sure this is a good thing for the community.”
However, OCH Administrator Richard Hilton reaffirmed the hospital’s position against any sale or lease agreement.
“The OCH Board of Trustees and Medical Staff oppose any efforts to sell or lease the hospital and hope that a majority of the supervisors would bring this matter to a close and vote not to sell or lease,” Hilton said in an emailed statement.
In an hour-long presentation, Butler Snow attorney Johnny Healy III laid out the process of creating and issuing the RFP, a process which could take anywhere from six to 18 months to complete. The process would begin with the adoption of a RFP and a resolution, with a selection of the best proposal 30 or 60 days after the due date.
However, Butler Snow’s timeframe did not account for the possibility of a referendum for county voters to decide the fate of OCH.
Representatives from Butler Snow were not available for comment by press deadline on Tuesday.
“We the people want to vote on whether we lease or sell it,” said Frank Davis, a citizen petitioning for a referendum.
Davis said he and other volunteers had collected more than the minimum 1,500 signatures, and planned to continue collecting until they had at least 1,700.
In December, the Greater Starkville Development Partnership also released a letter opposing the sale or lease of the hospital.