Since the Sullivan County Legislature stated its intent to begin the process of selling the Care Center earlier this month, they've been met with intense public scrutiny. Last week, there were so many people that wanted to speak that they had to recess the public hearing until another day. When they reconvened, it lasted almost three hours, with not one member of the public supporting the sale.

We have the utmost respect for every employee of the Care Center at Sunset Lake, as well as all essential medical personnel and front line workers, who went to work each day to care for others in the face of this pandemic and helped keep our community healthy, risking their lives and family's well being.

We understand their apprehension to a sale of the Care Center to a for-profit company, fearing a possible decline in the level of care now offered to their patients and the thought of losing their status as a county employee, which includes benefits they've worked hard to attain.

However, we do not believe the Sullivan County Legislature should be chastised for considering the sale of the Care Center. We are in unprecedented times and our county's financial situation is dire.

Difficult decisions will need to be made to balance our county's budget and not exceed the two percent tax cap. There is only so much weight our local government can put on the shoulders of taxpayers.

What we still feel is lacking amongst our legislators, however, is true and meaningful communication of the issues so that no one comes to the table uninformed and ill-prepared to make a decision.

The Republican caucus - seven legislators strong - has to keep the Democratic caucus in the loop and informed.

The public was only made aware of the county's intent to sell the Care Center a few weeks ago. While a public hearing was scheduled, a resolution to transfer the Care Center to a Local Development Corporation was immediately being put on the agenda.

Since then, multiple legislators have admitted that more information was needed before a decision could be made.

Legislator Ira Steingart even called for a study to determine the cost-effectiveness of the county owning such a facility - an idea which has merit and should be discussed further.

We also think it's great that Legislature Chairman Rob Doherty and District 6 Legislator Luis Alvarez, both Republicans, met with Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus last week about The Valley View Center for Nursing Care and Rehabilitation in Goshen.

Valley View is a county-owned nursing home which has had quite the turnaround in recent years. It was also revealed at last Thursday's reconvened public hearing that a conference call is being scheduled between legislators, county officials and Valley View Administrator Laurence LaDue.

However, both of these things should have happened before the county went forward with a plan to sell, not after.

As for the latter, according to Vice President of the Family Council of the Care Center at Sunset Lake Lou Setren in his remarks during public comment, he was the one who initially reached out to LaDue, before any member of the legislature.

So after all that, the legislature is now at the point where they should have been from the beginning, the information gathering stage. At the present time, it seems the public is largely opposed to the sale of the Care Center.

If a sale is the only way to move forward financially, the public deserves to be shown that every other realistic possibility was exhausted.

This isn't the first time the county has entertained the idea of selling the Care Center. The last time it was brought to the legislature's attention by then County Manager Dan Briggs, he told them the county was incurring too much debt in operating such a facility.

That proposal was also met with public opposition and did not get enough support amongst the legislature to move forward.

So now the legislature must study and explore all its options again with all nine members in attendance.

They need not rush into this decision but make an educated and informed vote using all the data available while keeping the public informed and educated.

Only then will they regain the trust and respect of the public, whatever the final decision may be.