Ending a dispute that has lasted almost seven years, Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield agreed to pay off an $8.7 million debt to Erlanger Health System.
Whitfield signed an agreement with the hospital during a special called meeting last Thursday, promising to pay the debt by the end of his term in 2020. The county will give the hospital $2.6 million in 2018 and again in 2019, followed by $3.5 million in the third year.
In exchange, Erlanger will let the county skirt on interest on the debt, which sat at about $240,000 as of the agreement date. Whitfield said the interest would have grown to about $400,000 by the end of 2020.
The agreement also allows Walker County to avoid paying $180,000 in attorney’s fees.
“It is a turning point for Walker County,” Whitfield said. “We’re bringing closure.”