(Austin) – The Central Health Board of Managers adopted a proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 tax rate Aug. 15.
The proposed FY 2019 tax rate of 10.5221 cents per $100 of assessed property value is lower than the FY 2018 tax rate, and reflects a rate six percent above the effective tax rate from the previous year. Even with the rate decrease, the average-priced Travis County home will see a $15.67 annual increase in its property tax bill from Central Health (a 4.8-percent increase) due to increasing property values in Travis County. A home with a taxable homestead value of $326,895 would be taxed a total of $343.97 for the year.
“Central Health always has to walk a fine line between providing essential care for tens of thousands of Travis County residents every year, while also respecting the increasing cost of living in the Austin area,” Central Health Board of Managers Chairperson Dr. Guadalupe Zamora said. “The board feels the tax rate we approved and the budget it funds is fiscally responsible but also addresses the growing need for quality health care in our community.”
Central Health expects to receive $196.9 million in property tax revenue in FY 2019, of which 96 percent will be used for health care delivery for Travis County residents with low income who are uninsured. In 2017, more than 180,000 people received health care services through Central Health partners.
Central Health is expected to maintain the lowest tax rate of any major urban Texas hospital district in FY 2019. This marks the fifth consecutive year Central Health has lowered its tax rate.
Aware of the rising cost of living in Travis County, Central Health’s Budget and Finance Committee voted in April to recommend increasing property tax exemptions from $80,000 to $85,500 for disabled Travis County residents and residents 65 and older, which was approved by the Travis County Commissioner’s Court in May.
To learn more and provide feedback on Central Health’s budget and tax rate, visit www.centralhealth.net/2019budget.