Central Health proposition gains voters' support

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The proposal to boost the property tax rate for Travis County's Central Health District to fund health care initiatives and provide start-up money for a University of Texas teaching hospital has passed after much contention.

Some 55 percent of voters in Travis County decided on a 63 percent tax increase proposed by Central Health — increasing the current 7.89 cents per $100 of assessed home value to 12.9 cents.

According to Central Health, the revenue raised by the tax increase — an estimated $54 million — would help create a medical school in Austin.

Late Tuesday, UT President Bill Powers issued a statement about the victory:

"This is a historic night for Austinites, the UT community and world-changing medical research. I’m thrilled and grateful that Central Health residents voted to invest in health care and to help us move ahead with a UT Austin medical school.

"I can’t offer enough praise for Sen. Kirk Watson, a true friend of UT who has dedicated himself to improving health care in Central Texas. I also want to thank the UT System Board of Regents for committing the resources that are crucial to a new medical school.

"Now that the vote is over, the hard work of building a medical school begins. Provost Steve Leslie and I will appoint a committee of faculty members and health care officials to help recruit an inaugural dean, choose a location for the school and finalize details with Central Health, Seton and other partners. We hope to have a new medical school building and teaching hospital in place for our first class of 50 students in 2015."