DAYTON, Ohio — Members of the Clergy Community Coalition are urging Mayor Shenise Turner-Sloss to create an 11-member board to guide plans for a public hospital, one year after Dayton voters backed the property-tax levy funding it. The call adds pressure on City Hall as levy dollars begin flowing and planning for the voter-approved project enters a critical phase.
City commissioners are expected to revisit the board’s nomination process before the end of the month, with levy funds now driving local health care planning. But the timeline has frustrated some residents: at an Oct. 8 City Commission meeting, speakers voiced concern about delayed progress on the hospital project, and commissioners postponed a vote after coming up short on votes.
City officials said a new board will be seated next week as work continues to address local health care needs. The coalition’s proposal would put community and faith leaders directly into the hospital’s governance, a move supporters say is needed to keep the project accountable to the neighborhoods it is meant to serve.
The public hospital effort has been one of the most closely watched local health initiatives in the Miami Valley since voters approved the levy a year ago. Advocates say the coming weeks — the board’s formation and the commission’s nomination decisions — will determine whether the project gains momentum or stalls further.
