Central Health Board of Managers Approves FY 2023 Budget, Tax Rate

AUSTIN) – The Central Health Board of Managers approved its Fiscal Year 2023 budget and tax rate Wednesday night that will lower property taxes for the average taxable homestead in Travis County, while expanding healthcare services for people with low income.

These expansions are the direct result of years of planning, culminating in the recently adopted Equity-focused Service Delivery Plan, or Healthcare Equity Plan.

The proposed FY 2023 budget is $300,750,381, with projected expenditures of $302,318,237.

“Our uses of funds this year exceeds our revenues, but we’re able to balance the budget using contingency reserves,” said Dr. Charles Bell, Central Health Board of Managers chairperson. “This is why we have reserves and it’s part of our long-term strategy to continue expanding services to meet the needs of our community. The board also adopted a budget resolution demonstrating how we are demanding even more accountability of ourselves and our partners, including the Dell Medical School at UT Austin.”

The new budget increases year-over-year spending by $90.5 million for healthcare delivery, expanding primary, specialty, and behavioral health care, as well as substance use treatment and pharmacy services. These are key areas identified in the Healthcare Equity Plan.

The Healthcare Equity Plan identified gaps in care for people with low income, including specialty care services. To help address those gaps, a renovated Rosewood-Zaragosa health center will open in 2023 as a multi-specialty clinic to serve Medical Access Program (MAP) members. The clinic will be home to six specialty care lines: neurology, nephrology, cardiology, gastroenterology, podiatry, and pulmonology. Central Health is hiring specialists in all six areas, as well as advanced healthcare providers and supportive staff, to improve care and reduce wait times for patients needing a specialist.

Central Health is also planning for the opening of two new health and wellness centers in Del Valle and Hornsby Bend, while continuing developments for a health and wellness center in Colony Park.

To support the proposed FY 2023 budget, Central Health’s Board unanimously approved a property tax rate of 9.8684 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The FY 2022 tax rate is 11.1814 cents per $100 of assessed property value.

The proposed budget and tax rate will now go before the Travis County Commissioners Court on Sept. 8 for a work session, with a scheduled vote for final approval on Sept. 20. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

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