MONTICELLO – During a special meeting of the Sullivan County Legislature yesterday, legislators voted to close the Care Center at Sunset Lake (formerly known as the Adult Care Center) and to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to identify an alternative operator to provide nursing home services in the county.

Legislators Nadia Rajsz, Nicholas Salomone, Brian McPhillips, Joseph Perrello and Amanda Ward voted to close the Care Center.

Legislators Cat Scott, Luis Alvarez, Matt McPhillips and Terry Blosser-Bernardo voted against the resolution.

The vote comes amid a lawsuit brought by multiple people against the county, which argues in part that the legislators held a closed-door meeting in March to vote on the closure of the county-owned nursing home.

Deputy County Attorney Khalid Bashjawish said that the current vote would “make most of the complaints in the lawsuit moot” and said that legislators should vote in public before October 19, due to the county’s petition to dismiss the lawsuit.

In a switch-up vote, Legislator Brian McPhillips now voted for the closure. Citing that the rules and regulations to run a nursing home are difficult to manage, McPhillips said, “I don’t have the faith that the county can run this the way it’s supposed to be run.”

Legislator Matt McPhillips meanwhile voiced his support for keeping it open.

“I think all of us [fellow legislators]… recognize that this is a need for the community; we want to have those beds there and we want residents to have an opportunity to stay close to home,” he said.

Legislator Terry Blosser-Bernardo, who was absent during the original vote in March, said she could not support the closure of the Care Center.

“We need those beds, and if we give up the Certificate of Need those beds aren’t coming back any time soon,” she said.

Legislature Chair Nadia Rajsz cited financial concerns for the reason to close. She said that the county has covered $21.5 million in shortfalls and that there is $12 million worth of work that needs to be done on the building.

She said that the county is already looking at a 25 percent increase in next year’s budget, and the continuation of owning the Care Center would add an additional five percent.

“It is my belief that good care and lower taxpayer cost can and will be realized with a private operator,” she said.

Part of the resolution that the legislators voted on includes issuing an RFP “seeking an operator [that] will facilitate the continued availability of nursing home services to Sullivan County residents following the closure of the ACC.”

Legislator Cat Scott questioned what the language of the RFP will be, while Blosser-Bernardo said it is an “illusion” that the county will be able to find another operator.

Before the legislators voted on the resolution there was a two-hour public comment period, during which many residents vehemently opposed the closing of the Care Center.

Some speakers said they would not mind if their taxes went up if it meant the facility could stay open.

The meeting comes after the previous legislature chose nursing home operator Infinite Care to manage the Care Center. However, they pulled out this July after a delay in receiving a Certificate of Need.

Voicing his support for the closure, Legislator Joe Perrello said, “This has been going on for six years, this is going to prolong it. At this point, we need to end this.”