[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6499032,"mediaKeyId","5558884-8b18de04e207728bc9fc569642c3f47a","parentId",5558884,"title","UMC Health System presents FY2026 budget, urges attention to bed capacity and staffing; no tax increase requested","audioSeconds",2431,"startMs",1082635,"endMs",3514000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5558884-8b18de04e207728bc9fc569642c3f47a&start=1082&end=3514","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5558884-8b18de04e207728bc9fc569642c3f47a/thumbnail_1082635.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6499032/Lubbock-County/Texas/UMC-Health-System-presents-FY2026-budget-urges-attention-to-bed-capacity-and-staffing-no-tax-increase-requested","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6499032-4ba4aba47c8d1f71892449b1a4c2842a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770505652&Signature=jOlGX9b24q26YYBMDe0gGcovMMx3gaQBBAS01P-vxv0WZOUk4qzz-Q4pmx8MhaBCQm0WdsBh~VI-86jQ2vZ4aAWPTUiO56-NgFNnRHC2k3bSJDh7p1w1zhzPIUzYw2cJ8rJtgra9~l~Ez4U1X7bS7qNpM4qlu83N-VVYUoRfbqo2lD34MMD8bWlNfxspt~yB8aMvqWMZNJvs4jHabFnjjVGDJ0FE0dHPFVm4WmOmBUyUwo6P2hymuEgv-ZBx0kkfiUI~1O-IE1nYZGT~vIhAPw5wlxqWWAvUhQxeFhd10svmUzwvisJ-gYDO8L9NzPwgaT~Z65Af4hOdTmAfp6MZng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lubbock","date","2025-08-11T00:00:00Z","article","UMC Health System representatives presented the health system's proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budget, three-year capital equipment and capital expansion plans and recommended a proposed ad valorem tax rate equal to the no-new-revenue rate, the hospital's representative told the Lubbock County Commissioners Court on Aug. 11.

The presentation, delivered by Dane Funderburk on behalf of the hospital's board of managers, summarized revenue and expense projections for 2026 and warned the court that operational costs are outpacing revenue. \"Now, I'm not asking for a tax increase today,\" Funderburk said, while outlining three principal needs the system faces: additional beds, more medical staff and improved operating margin.

Funderburk told the court the hospital expects net patient revenue to rise by about $61 million in 2026 while operating expenses are projected to increase by roughly $69 million, driven largely by labor costs for physicians, pharmacists, therapists and technicians. He said the operating margin is expected to fall to about 1.3 percent in 2026 and pointed to a spike in capital outlay in 2025 tied to the Master Cancer Center construction.

Why it matters: UMC is the region's primary safety-net hospital and a major employer; the institution said tax revenue supports a small share of its budget and that local tax support is among the lowest of comparable Texas hospital districts.

Key figures and program notes included in the presentation:
- Projected increase in net patient revenue for 2026: about $61,000,000 (driven by volume and a stronger commercial payer mix).
- Projected increase in operating expenses for 2026: about $69,000,000 (primarily labor and recruitment/retention costs).
- Projected operating margin for 2026: about 1.3%.
- Estimated cost of uncompensated/unfunded care for 2026: about $106,000,000; tax receipts currently cover roughly 3.7% of budgeted costs for the district.
- EMS shortfall (operational loss after collections): about $7,100,000.
- Correctional health-care cost estimate for 2026: about $12,200,000.
- Network Access Improvement Program (NAEP) funding reduction the hospital cited: about $28,000,000 expected to end in 2027.
- Proposed ad valorem tax rate presented as the no-new-revenue rate; board recommended 0.09966 but no vote on that rate occurred at the Aug. 11 meeting. The court is scheduled to consider and vote on the proposed tax rate on Aug. 25, 2025.

Funderburk highlighted operational pressures: the hospital reported being at very high occupancy (95.7% of the year), limited ability to add more patients without additional beds and a continuing need to recruit and retain specialized clinicians. He said the health system has used cash reserves for recent capital projects, including a cancer center scheduled to open in April 2026, and will continue to reinvest in facilities and equipment.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the EMS shortfall and the correctional-health figure. Funderburk and his finance staff said the EMS shortfall represents the net unpaid/unfunded portion after billing and collections, and that correctional-health figures reflect actual operating costs. A finance staff member told the court state reimbursements for payers such as Medicare or Medicaid typically reimburse within two to three weeks, though individual payer timelines vary.

Funderburk also described workforce and retention strategies, including in-house technician training, a certified anesthesia assistant program and an American Medical Association \"Joy in Medicine\" program to address burnout. He said the system has grown its residency program and that many recent graduates remain in West Texas.

The presentation included a cash and reserves review: Funderburk said reserves provided stability after a recent ransomware attack and the local measles response. He emphasized the hospital's role as a \"super safety-net\" provider that delivers large volumes of uncompensated, high-acuity care and training for clinicians in the region.

What's next: The court was informed that the commissioners will vote on the proposed ad valorem tax rate for the Lubbock County Hospital District at their Aug. 25 meeting. No formal action on the tax rate or the FY2026 budgets was taken on Aug. 11.

The hospital provided commissioners with the full packet of budget, capital and cash-forecast documents and said individual capital requests would continue to be vetted by hospital committees and the hospital board before being executed.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lubbock - Commissioners' Court","oneSentenceSummary","UMC Health System told the Lubbock County Commissioners Court on Aug. 11 that rising labor costs, high occupancy and upcoming reductions in supplemental funding are putting pressure on the hospital's finances even as it recommends a proposed ad valorem tax rate equal to the no-new-revenue rate; the system said it is not requesting a tax increase at this meeting.","taxTitle","Lubbock County, Texas","taxId",2711,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6499023,"Votes at a glance: Lubbock County Commissioners Court actions, Aug. 11, 2025",3930,320305,4251000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5558884-8b18de04e207728bc9fc569642c3f47a&start=320&end=4251","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5558884-8b18de04e207728bc9fc569642c3f47a/thumbnail_320305.jpg","/articles/6499023/Lubbock-County/Texas/Votes-at-a-glance-Lubbock-County-Commissioners-Court-actions-Aug-11-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6499023-1a1bb8dc06a6419e474597062ed8f104/orig.mp4?Expires=1770505652&Signature=OxTheC1GFSxvdYPzBdqA0L5DFeXw0ZdG~sktGBbcu67uaRxU75aziWb7sG79FyeU1Kh5O~aJG4tnqEx0PchIrJ9F0cvH4ubcgJeU1POjtTWe3hyhWKJBbZRlgPFyLJZbanW4eBNpXeUDjeznXAntkCp17WTp7TiJhS3UbBqYu7qDgB7U9liq5P79e9k5yd69sRhqB4pcvPkyZjpVBpySVCrOlD0REy1s6EptA~cwe9UQ1pHME~s4r-WAeQ7viu4VNU9hbK6i2FMEVX2umq780XaAsk1Lx8s89kcDq7mZ1gKYUcsUUQ4pGx6-TczYyl-3qvrOQCFNVPcCfSMCAtVPnQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At its Aug. 11 meeting the Lubbock County Commissioners Court took formal action on numerous routine and contract items. Below is a consolidated list of motions the court approved, with available mover/second attributions and outcomes.

Votes at a glance (motions carried unless otherwise noted):
- Item 1: Approve minutes of the regular commissioners court meeting dated 07/28/2025. Motion by Commissioner Rackler; second by Commissioner Dalby. Outcome: approved.
- Item 2: Approve auditor line-item transfers ($1,189,865) and budget amendments ($14,796) as presented. Motion by Commissioner Dolby; second by Commissioner Rackler. Outcome: approved.
- Item 3: Authorize payment of claims totaling $2,859,663.24. Motion by Commissioner Rackler; second by Commissioner Shaw. Outcome: approved.
- Item 4: Accept quarterly investment report for quarter ending 06/30/2025. Motion by Commissioner Rackler; second by Commissioner Dalby. Outcome: approved.
- Items 5'20: Approve consent agenda items 5 through 20 as presented. Motion by Commissioner Dolby; second by Commissioner Rackler. Outcome: approved.
- Item 27: Award RFP 25-0601 (detention center food services) to 5 Star Correctional Services; evaluation committee scoring favored that bidder. Motion by Commissioner Rackler; second by Commissioner Shaw. Pricing cited: approximately $1.14 per meal for the 1,250'1,349 meals-served range. Outcome: approved.
- Item 28: Authorize the county judge to sign an agreement for emergency evacuations at the Texas Civil Commitment Center with Management & Training Corporation (renewal). Motion by Commissioner Rackler; second by Commissioner Dolby. Outcome: approved.
- Item 29: Approve FY2026 Sheriff fee schedule (continuation of FY2025 fees; no changes). Motion by Commissioner Dalby; second by Commissioner Rackler. Outcome: approved.
- Item 30: Authorize grant application to the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime for supervised visitation and neutral exchange services (grant application only). Motion by Commissioner Rackler; second by Commissioner Dolby. Outcome: approved.
- Item 31: Designate dates/days of week on which the commissioners court will convene in regular term for remainder of Sept. 2025 and FY2026 per Local Government Code sec. 81.005(a). Motion by Commissioner Rackler; second by Commissioner Shaw. Outcome: approved.
- Item 32: Approve and adopt computerized randomized 2026 Grievance Committee selection list generated from the 2024 grand jury list per Local Government Code sec. 152.015(b)(1). Motion by Commissioner Rackler; second by Commissioner Corley. Outcome: approved.

Several presentations and reports were also provided to the court but did not result in immediate formal action at the Aug. 11 meeting, including the FY2026 UMC Health System budget presentation (item 23) and the county road projects and operations report (item 33). The court passed the items above with no recorded dissents during the meeting minutes.

Where available, motions and seconds are recorded above exactly as stated during the meeting. Individual vote tallies were recorded as \"All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries\" for the items listed; no roll-call vote tallies with member-by-member votes were provided in the transcript for these actions.","The court approved routine minutes, budget transfers, claims payments, investment report, multiple consent-agenda items and several contracts and grants. This roundup lists each item that received formal action on Aug. 11, including motion movers/seconds where recorded and the outcome.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6499027,"Commissioners approve 10 temporary tax-office positions to process Tesla titles; office projects multimillion-dollar sales-tax retention",363,3655710,4019000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5558884-8b18de04e207728bc9fc569642c3f47a&start=3655&end=4019","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5558884-8b18de04e207728bc9fc569642c3f47a/thumbnail_3655710.jpg","/articles/6499027/Lubbock-County/Texas/Commissioners-approve-10-temporary-tax-office-positions-to-process-Tesla-titles-office-projects-multimillion-dollar-sales-tax-retention","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6499027-61c241d6c021dde0aa947a048bb70bdb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770505652&Signature=l6oyuMoh3ESTM5tkmVJB6ZzOY5IP054yFNl9KN-UHCCJ52EvGeddaavXRY9nnUw5YQqYrM2jATUpq~A17bY27eBDMU423mTYpmWdCMifc9bZ4mpQ63ErNeZBjSs9dUwwe7xytLedJnlwhkLX02NvT3WVX8wgkcc3dXYwA7G9o~07-xa1EECAqKkwGWYJtqQfF-q~WtQv75-OmUNRER01vIgGwa1JNlaE0dWAok6tS6RNUmn1welziOEbgz3jxnG5GFqbO1LWNeO0~~qCNRk211DCGMWVhBst61hJNGSbxTniXKYeGSE-r9lI4iBazXaXs6jHD5nDKelQxOjbR8k0eg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lubbock County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Aug. 11 to authorize 10 temporary positions for the county tax office to process titles tied to Tesla vehicle transactions handled through an auto-title vendor, the tax assessor told the court.

Tax Assessor-Collector Roni Keester (presenter identified in the packet as \"Mister Keester\") said the additional staff would be required to process titles generated by \"Semtex Auto Title LLC\" (transcript references vary) under a new vehicle-title workflow. Keester estimated the resulting increase in sales-tax retention to Lubbock County would be approximately $9,500,000 based on the vendor's projected volumes.

The court approved a motion to add 10 positions effective Aug. 11, 2025. Keester told commissioners the request covered the remainder of the fiscal year and that he plans to include the same 10 positions in his fiscal-year-2026 budget submission. He said the office expects to onboard some of the new hires immediately: he planned to bring four on right away, two more in mid-September, and the rest transitioning into FY2026.

Keester provided additional operational details: the vendor's volumes are reported on a quarterly basis and, when averaged, amount to roughly 1,000 titles per week during peak periods; the $9.5 million figure reflects projected retained sales tax as reported to the county. He also identified that the 10 positions requested consist of seven \"CLO II\" positions, one program coordinator and two \"CLO I\" positions.

Why it matters: The change affects tax-office staffing, short-term labor costs and county revenue flows tied to vehicle registration and sales-tax distributions. Commissioners asked about timing, payment cadence from the comptroller and office space; Keester said title fees and associated road-and-bridge fees are processed in the office's normal workflow and that a modest increase in revenue to road-and-bridge fees was expected.

The motion carried with no recorded dissents. Commissioners asked the tax office to coordinate hiring and report updates through the auditor for FY2026 budget planning.","Lubbock County Commissioners unanimously approved 10 positions for the county tax office to handle increased title processing tied to Tesla vehicles and an auto-title vendor; the tax assessor said the work could yield roughly $9.5 million in sales-tax retention for the county.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6499031,"Commissioners unanimously recommend Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company building for National Register nomination",298,801780,1100000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5558884-8b18de04e207728bc9fc569642c3f47a&start=801&end=1100","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5558884-8b18de04e207728bc9fc569642c3f47a/thumbnail_801780.jpg","/articles/6499031/Lubbock-County/Texas/Commissioners-unanimously-recommend-Pittsburgh-Plate-Glass-Company-building-for-National-Register-nomination","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6499031-54e01a0dff4107575be6cc1a0066261d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770505652&Signature=dVZFn8Zuy1vzdE-NlBpGzoZ5icnZXBJSs9HIh8LgeKEqogQofVGgmWx48GnSEi4y9YgZVg~OV5xQwFTn7BR~dlcXqgStexM-eJy22lEsSlGJ1wHA5prDCM4TJ0Q~aomAPTXpwAQqsGMNpQGMTTEIkZlqqbob~EHrGRUTsb6oc~9SrgkFDxAJLDrGwoWxEjvIP5Icq0Dm60mMDrHo5zyq0duS8E7hr0Cl5S2dCXxMyVjWLd41cgTV7wHicqlHAiJID4QHoDGpV8KLCtGPKaBSl18XyZGYI2IKwp4JBHNPcfea52OdDEZBM5IyZU8p3cWMPNlu0vZtbDuHP0QgvDoF6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lubbock County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Aug. 11 to recommend that the nomination of the former Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company building at 20 Third Street be forwarded for consideration for the National Register of Historic Places.

Miss Stafel, chair of the Lubbock County certified local government committee, told the court the 1950 industrial building was highlighted for architectural significance, its use of the company's own materials and its association with the region's postwar architectural and construction firms. \"It is an important property,\" Stafel said, noting the nomination was among the better-drafted she had seen in recent years.

The committee recommended a handful of small corrections to the nomination but otherwise endorsed forwarding the packet to the Texas Historical Commission. Judge Parrish moved the court's recommendation and Commissioner Rackler seconded. The court voted to recommend the nomination; Stafel said the state review board meets on Sept. 19 and could advance the nomination to the National Park Service for final listing.

Why it matters: Listing on the National Register can make properties eligible for state and federal historic tax credits and other grants that can help finance preservation and adaptive reuse. The committee noted the nomination highlights the building's association with the architectural firm Etcheson and Atkinson (an early forerunner of Parkhill Smith Cooper) and the Tidmore Construction Company.

The court called for the signature of the five commissioners on the nomination packet so it can be routed to the State Historic Preservation Officer and, if advanced, the National Park Service.

The motion carried unanimously. No opposition or abstentions were recorded at the meeting.","The Lubbock County Commissioners Court unanimously recommended that the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company building at 20 Third Street be forwarded in support of its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places after a presentation from the county's certified local government committee.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

UMC Health System presents FY2026 budget, urges attention to bed capacity and staffing; no tax increase requested

Votes at a glance: Lubbock County Commissioners Court actions, Aug. 11, 2025

Commissioners approve 10 temporary tax-office positions to process Tesla titles; office projects multimillion-dollar sales-tax retention

Commissioners unanimously recommend Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company building for National Register nomination