Voters in Bernalillo County, N.M., will decide whether to renew property tax funding for the Albuquerque-based University of New Mexico Hospital in the upcoming general election.
Five notes:
1. Residents have supported the funding measure for 72 years. Approval in this election would extend the levy for another eight years, according to an Oct. 8 news release from the UNM Health.
2. The tax is calculated based on a "mill," or $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value, the release said.
3. The mill levy has appeared on local ballots every eight years since the hospital was established in 1952.
4. The levy accounts for about 10% of the hospital's budget and helps fund various costs, including food services, supply maintenance, facility cleaning, cybersecurity and interpreter services.
5. "Because Bernalillo County voters have continued this investment for seven decades, UNM Hospital has been able to deliver an ROI through expansions of health care services to meet the needs of our growing and aging population, training thousands of health care professionals, and establishing a reliable health care hub in our state for high-quality, safe, compassionate and often complex care," Kate Becker, CEO of UNM Hospital, said in the release.