CARTHAGE, Mo. (AP) - The Carthage City Council has approved a plan to seek a vote on the sale of the former McCune-Brooks Hospital.
Council members approved the plan Tuesday. The ordinance would set a Nov. 3 election on the hospital sale to Mercy, which operates the city-owned hospital under a 50-year lease approved in January 2012.
Tom Short, city administrator, says voters must approve the sale, and the lease agreement includes financial incentives for the city based on if and when the sale is authorized.
The Joplin Globe reports (http://bit.ly/1J4lGmb) that Mercy has offered to pay $5 million if the sale is completed by the end of 2016. The incentive drops by $1 million each year after that.