Both on the hospital district and the Firefighters right to collective bargaining.
The structure of the district hasn't been worked out completely, but the basics are that within the taxing area everyone has to pay in to cover the costs. The way it works right now is that most indigent care goes to Brackenridge or many of the City of Austin's clinics or the People's Clinic. So all the health care costs for the very poor, are only being paid by Austin residents even though many of these costs come from outside the area. Naturally the cities and towns that weren't paying anything for health care for the poor didn't want to pay for any of it now. Austin supported the new district heavily. It's about time everyone paid their fair share and that we have better health services for all.
Yeah for Austin voters!
Here's a link to the Austin Chronicle's run down on the district
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2004-04-30/pols_feature9.htmlA hospital district, Herman says, would be better able to direct funding toward the county's health care shortcomings. If voters approve the measure, a single taxing authority would be created to oversee planning and funding of the county's public health network, bringing the city's Brackenridge, Children's, and Women's hospitals, along with the city-county health clinics, under the purview of a district board. The district would establish a uniform tax system county wide, with county residents paying what city residents already pay now – 7.3 cents per $100 of property valuation – toward public health care services.
Sonia