(Austin) – The Travis County Commissioners Court approved Central Health’s Fiscal Year 2018 tax rate and budget Tuesday, after the Central Health Board of Managers approved both Sept. 13.
Per state statute, the Commissioners Court provides final approval of Central Health’s budget and tax rate.
“On behalf of nearly 1 in 10 Travis County residents we provide services for, we thank you for your vote,” said Mike Geeslin, Central Health president and CEO.
The Travis County Commissioners Court approved Central Health’s tax rate of 10.7385 cents per $100 of property value, a decrease from the Fiscal Year 2017 rate of 11.0541 cents. With the value of the average Travis County homestead increasing by more than $20,000 this year to $305,173, the average Central Health taxpayer will now experience an increase of $12.50 to their tax bills—equal to $1.04 per month. This will increase Central Health’s total tax revenue by 4.5 percent.
Prior to the court’s tax rate and budget approval, Central Health adopted new financial policies to guide its financial operations and ensure transparency.
“With our Fiscal Year 2018 budget passed, we can focus on planning for new initiatives and our strategies for how we’ll deliver healthcare in Travis County, “ said Mike Geeslin, Central Health president and CEO. “We look forward to reporting on our progress by this time next year.”
Central Health is expected to maintain the lowest tax rate among Travis County taxing entities, and continues to levy the lowest tax rate of any major urban Texas hospital district.
Central Health expects to receive $181.8 million in property tax revenue in FY 2018, of which 96 percent will be used for health care delivery for low-income and uninsured Travis County residents.
Line items in the Central Health budget include new and expanded service locations in East Travis County, the renovation of the CommUnityCare Rosewood-Zaragosa Health Center, and increased funding for women’s health care services.
Further details on Central Health’s budget and tax rate can be found at www.centralhealth.net/finance/
