Northern Arizona Healthcare has asked the court to throw out a ballot referendum on a proposed new hospital because they say the language used in the petition signed by thousands of voters was “misleading.”
The Flagstaff City Council approved the project's first phase earlier this year. The proposed facility includes a new $800 million hospital and an ambulatory care center north of Fort Tuthill.
The decision was met with pushback due to a lack of information about the project or its potential community impact. The group Flagstaff Community First submitted more than 4,800 signatures to get the issue on the city’s November special election ballot.
But Northern Arizona Healthcare claims the language used in the petition wasn’t accurate as it stated the site would be used for retail and commercial space with no mention of healthcare facilities.
NAH maintains that’s not the case as they’re not allowed to construct retail and commercial space on the hospital site under the approved zoning ordinance.
They filed the request to disqualify Prop 480 with the Coconino Superior Court Tuesday. A judge will likely decide on the matter in the coming weeks.
