Amid debate, commissioners approve Central Health funds

Court postpones vote on agency’s financial policies.

The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved Central Health’s $238 million budget, which will add about $12.50 to the typical homeowner’s prop- erty tax bill.

The Travis County health care district’s budget includes a 4.5 percent increase in tax revenue, with the tax rate at 10.74 cents per $100 of prop- erty value. For the owner of

average home valued at $305,173, the Central Health property tax bill will come out to $327.71.

The agency touted several projects that will be funded in the upcoming budget year, including new and expanded service locations in East Travis County, the renovation of the CommUnityCare Rose- wood-Zaragosa Health Center and increased funding for women’s health care ser- vices.

But discussion on Tuesday revolved more around concerns about Central Health’s transparency and its relationship with Dell Medical School than the budget itself.

Lawyers Bob Ozer and Fred Lewis and others have frequently argued that spend- ing on the medical school, which Travis County voters approved in 2012 via a property tax increase, is not within the bounds of the hospital district’s mission to provide services to the indigent.

After the lawyers spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, Commissioner Gerald Daugh- erty expressed frustration that Central Health hasn’t answered many of these questions.

“You’re caught in some- thing that I’ve witnessed to be pretty unhealthy because now there are feelings out there where people think there is something going on that really shouldn’t,” Daugh- erty said to hospital district officials. “I hope today we can move forward.”

Commissioners Brigid Shea and Margaret Gómez said they were uneasy about having to vote on the budget now, simply because they faced a deadline, while so many questions remain.

“I think that it’s in everyone’s best interest to get them answered and get it resolved,” Shea said. “It’s not healthy for any of us to have these very large questions hanging over the process.”

Gómez abstained from voting for the same reason, saying she felt she was “in a real corner” to vote for the budget before the questions were resolved.

“I understand that we have to have budgets in order to continue providing services, but I wish we could adopt the financial policies before we adopt the budget,” Gómez said, referencing a later item on the agenda.

After an hour of discussion, commissioners voted to postpone until Oct. 3 a vote on that item, which would bring changes to Central Health’s financial policy. The changes are meant to increase the agency’s transparency by stipulating things like regular thirdparty audits.