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Will You Pay More to Help Build a Medical School?

The Central Health Board of Managers voted unanimously last night to ask voters whether they want to pay five cents more in property taxes per $100 of taxable value.

The funds would help develop a medical school and teaching hospital in Austin. The proposal will be on the November ballot.

Board members say now is a good time to move forward with the project because of the federal Medicaid matching funds available.

The tax proposal is the latest step in a series of developments surrounding a medical school. As KUT News previously reported, in April, Seton Healthcare Family, which currently operates University Medical Center Brackenridge, said it would spend $250 million on a new teaching hospital.

Soon afterward, the University of Texas Board of Regents proposed $30 million in annual funding for a medical school for the first eight years, and $25 million annually after that.

Laura first joined the KUT team in April 2012. She now works for the statewide program Texas Standard as a reporter and producer. Laura came to KUT from the world of television news. She has worn many different hats as an anchor, reporter and producer at TV stations in Austin, Amarillo and Toledo, OH. Laura is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, a triathlete and enjoys travel, film and a good beer. She enjoys spending time with her husband and pets.