Early voting began in Travis County today, including voting on Central Health's Prop 1. Designed to bring a medical school and a new teaching hospital to Austin, if approved Prop 1 would raise the Central Health district's tax rate from 7.98 cents to 12.9 cents per $100 of accessed property value. (The average Travis County homeowner would pay an additional $107 a year.)
The measure is facing opposition from the Travis County Taxpayer's Union. Today, the group filed a lawsuit claiming Central Health improperly augmented the language printed on the ballot. The group argues that Central Health added language that encourages voters to vote for the measure.
The original proposition is recreated below, with the district's addendum in bold:
Approving the ad valorem tax rate of $0.129 per $100 valuation in Central Health, also known as the Travis County Healthcare District, for the 2013 tax year, a rate that exceeds the district's rollback tax rate. The proposed ad valorem tax rate exceeds the ad valorem tax rate most recently adopted by the district by $0.05 per $100 valuation; funds will be used for improved healthcare in Travis County, including support for a new medical school consistent with the mission of Central Health, a site for a new teaching hospital, trauma services, specialty medicine such as cancer care, community-wide health clinics, training for physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals, primary care, behavioral and mental healthcare, prevention and wellness programs, and/or to obtain federal matching funds for healthcare services.