Central Health Board Adopts Fiscal Year 2022 Budget and Tax Rate; $491 Million Allocated for Healthcare Delivery

(Austin) – The Central Health Board of Managers voted Thursday to approve the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget to pay for healthcare services for Travis County residents with low income. The vote followed a public hearing, and the budget now goes to the Travis County Commissioners Court for final approval on Sept. 21, prior to start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1.

With the FY 2022 budget, Central Health will empower communities by funding new health and wellness centers in Eastern Travis County and expand programs such as: primary care and specialty care access, health care for people experiencing homelessness, behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, transitions of care and more. Of the entire $506 million budget, more than 97% ($491 million) is dedicated to healthcare delivery.

“This budget represents a continued commitment to Central Health’s core value of ensuring all Travis County residents with low income have access to the best possible health care,” Central Health CEO Mike Geeslin said. “Input from local healthcare experts and members of the community have been tremendously helpful in guiding our work to map out the best path forward, and the FY 2022 budget is the culmination of these collective efforts.”

Property Tax Rate
The $506 million FY 2022 budget is supported largely by property taxes. The board approved a property tax rate of 11.1814 cents per $100 of valuation. The proposed tax rate will result in an annual increase of about $39.75 for the average taxable homestead value of approximately $386,000, with a total annual bill of $431.75.

Central Health has long maintained the lowest tax rate of any of the major urban hospital districts in Texas, a trend that continues into FY 2022. Central Health also maintains the lowest rate of any of the Travis County taxing entities – Austin ISD at 53.4% of the total tax bill, City of Austin at 22.4%, Travis County at 14.4%, Austin Community College at 5.2%, and Central Health at 4.5%.

To learn more about Central Health’s proposed tax rate and budget, visit www.centralhealth.net/about/finance/fy2022-budget.