The St. Joseph County Council voted along party lines Tuesday night to affirm county commissioners’ decision to close Portage Manor.
Their 5-4 vote – five Republicans and four Democrats -- came a week after commissioners announced they would stick with their March vote to close the county-owned home for people who are disabled with low incomes. Commissioners had agreed to delay the closure 60 days and appointed a task force to explore ways to keep the home open.
The task force ultimately recommended the county keep ownership of Portage Manor but partner with a private entity to operate it. Granger physician Dr. Sylvana Atallah was the only entity to step forward with a proposal but the commissioners, leaning on the opinion of their consultant, said there were too many holes in her plan.
Democratic Council Member Bryan Tanner said it was unfair that the task force was required to meet publicly, keep minutes of their meetings, and give regular updates to commissioners on their progress, while the all-Republican commissioners weren’t so transparent.
Tanner said commissioners discussed the matter behind closed doors with their consultant and didn’t include the public enough.
“And that is not, by any measure of the word, a good faith effort by anybody involved on that side of this discussion,” Tanner said.
