Samaritan Hospital in Macon lost $73,654 in July, its second straight monthly loss, and its trustees voted to keep the hospital's property tax rate unchanged for 2026.
Trustees accepted the July financial report at their Aug. 25 meeting, according to minutes posted on the hospital's website. The report compared the loss with a net profit of $212,484 in July 2025. Gross revenue was 108.5% of budget in July, and operating expenses were 100.2% of budget.
The July loss followed a $19,034 loss in June and a $17,952 profit in May, according to the board's July 28 and June 30 minutes.
The minutes do not give year-to-date results or explain the July loss.
Tax rate
Trustees approved a 2026 general fund rate of 18.6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation after a tax hearing that opened the meeting. The rate is projected to generate $580,463, according to the minutes. Treasurer Rusty Neill moved to accept the rate as presented, Secretary Cherie Seipel seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
Missouri law sets residential property assessments at 19% of market value. At 18.6 cents, the hospital tax on a home with a market value of $100,000 comes to $35.34 a year.
The rate is the same as in 2025 and down from 18.86 cents in 2024, according to the Missouri State Auditor's Office tax rate database. It was 18.79 cents each year from 2020 through 2023. The rate has equaled the hospital's tax rate ceiling every year since 2020, according to the auditor's records.
New trustee
Tim Korman, general manager and CEO of Macon Electric Cooperative, has agreed to replace Patricia Knowles on the board beginning in January 2027, according to the minutes. It was suggested that Korman be invited to attend board meetings until then to get acclimated.
Knowles has served on the board since 2013, according to the hospital's website. The minutes do not record a vote on the seat, give a reason for the change or say how Korman will be seated.
Korman was asked Friday, through the cooperative's general email address, why he agreed to serve on the hospital board, how he will be seated, and what he sees as the hospital's biggest priorities.
Chariton Media Group did not receive a response in time for publication.
Other business
CEO Jill Williams discussed the hospital's Rural Health Transformation Horizon 1 request, which is in her executive report, according to the minutes. The minutes do not describe the request. Vice President Will Perkins has a contact the CEO may reach out to for more information.
In June, Williams told trustees the hospital's application for Rural Health Transformation funds included a request for orthopedic equipment and a new MRI, according to the June 30 minutes.
Williams also gave trustees talking points on the Show-Me High Value Network, a statewide group of independent hospitals that Samaritan has joined, ahead of the network's Sept. 9 marketing launch.
The board unanimously approved a consent agenda that included the July 28 minutes, accounts payable, quality improvement reports, patient satisfaction results, and the executive monthly report. No one spoke during public participation.
All five trustees attended the Aug. 25 meeting: President Keith Maloney, Perkins, Neill, Seipel, and Knowles.