HEBRON | The Murphy Plan for sharing the wealth from the sale of Porter hospital is a fine idea, but the amount is wrong, Hebron officials said.

Porter County Treasurer Jim Murphy is asking taxing bodies around the county to pass resolutions endorsing his plan to use the interest earned from the $140 million sale price to reimburse them for the interest they paid on loans while they were waiting for the county to collect and distribute property taxes last year.

The money also would pay them for interest they could have earned if the money had been distributed on time and invested until needed. Hebron Clerk-Treasurer Terri Waywood said Murphy sent the town a letter in which he estimated the amount it would receive at $9,750.

Waywood said the town spent about $42,000 on interest, bond fees and legal fees involved in getting the loans. She said County Councilman Mike Bucko has his own plan to use the hospital money to provide loans to the taxing bodies at interest rates lower than they could get from a bank or the state's bond bank.

She said the hospital money belongs to the people, and she didn't think it was right to charge them for it. Others said they would favor the plan that offered the town the most money. County Councilman Dan Whitten has promised to present his plan for using the hospital money this month.

The Hebron council tabled the Murphy Plan for further study.