El Dorado is being asked in March to make a decision that isn't really political. It's practical.

Voters will decide whether to approve a half-cent sales tax to support South Arkansas Regional Hospital's facilities and equipment with the "Access for Life" measure. We support it.

The main hospital building was built in 1964. That's an old building for any purpose, but especially for a hospital that has to run around the clock and meet today's standards. Things wear out. Systems fail. Equipment gets outdated. If we want to keep services here and keep the hospital in a position to recruit and retain doctors and nurses, the facility has to be kept up.

That's what this tax is meant to do -- pay for maintenance, improvements, renovations, expansions and equipment upgrades. Supporters have said it won't be used for salaries, and the city's resolution lays out what the money can be spent on. The city council would be responsible for oversight.

The tax is expected to raise about $3 million a year. While that won't solve every problem in health care, it would provide steady money for the needs that can't be ignored and can't be put off year after year.

People have questions, and they should. There were town hall meetings for those to voice their concerns so they didn't go unheard.

However, doing nothing isn't a plan. If the hospital keeps falling behind on buildings and equipment, it won't just be inconvenient. It will show up in what services are offered, how hard it is to recruit staff and how far people have to travel for care.

And there's another piece that matters, which is a town without a stable hospital is a harder place to build.

When companies look at expanding or relocating, they don't just consider land and roads. They look at whether their employees can get decent health care close to home. If El Dorado can't answer that question, bringing in future business and keeping the workforce we have becomes harder.

Both the city council and the quorum court have endorsed this measure. The county has agreed to deed the hospital property to the city if voters approve the tax. That doesn't settle every detail, but it shows leaders are trying to put structure and oversight around the funding.

A half-cent sales tax is real money. But the cost of letting the hospital slide is real, too. And it won't be cheaper later.

© El Dorado News Times