Hospital Sale Petition May Be Premature

STARKVILLE (WCBI) – Oktibbeha County residents calling for a vote on whether the Oktibbeha County Hospital should be sold or leased may be getting ahead of themselves.

An Attorney General’s opinion made public Tuesday says names gathered on a petition calling for an election are invalid right now because the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors has not officially voted to sell or lease the hospital.   The Attorney General’s office also says supervisors do not have the authority to call for an election on the issue on their own.  Any referendum must be based on a petition signed by at least 20% of the registered voters in the county.