Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Hidalgo County sets 6% mandatory hospital assessment after public hearing
Loading...
Summary
After a public hearing, Hidalgo County Commissioners Court approved a 6% mandatory payment on paying hospitals for fiscal year 2026 and set quarterly assessment dates and collection authority.
Hidalgo County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved a 6% mandatory payment on net patient revenue for paying hospitals in the County Health Care Funding District for fiscal year 2026 following a 10:30 a.m. public hearing and a request from hospital representatives.
The action came after a hospital industry representative urged the court to retain the current assessment rate. "On behalf of the hospitals, we respectfully request that you set the rate at the current rate at 6 percent," said Michael Neal of Alonzo Healthcare Ventures during the public hearing.
The court’s vote authorized the mandatory payment at 6% for the district fiscal year starting Sept. 2025 and ending Aug. 2026; authorized the Hidalgo County tax assessor-collector to collect the payment; and set quarterly assessment dates. Commissioners voted in favor on each item.
Why it matters: The district’s mandatory payments are used to fund the Hidalgo County Health Care Funding District’s programs and to meet the district’s statutory obligations. Setting the rate and collection dates defines hospitals’ quarterly payment schedule and how revenues will be processed for the coming fiscal year.
What the court approved: - Setting the mandatory payment rate at 6% of net patient revenue for FY2026 (approved by motion). - Authorizing the Hidalgo County tax assessor-collector to collect the mandatory payments on a quarterly basis (approved by motion). - Setting quarterly assessment dates at 11/30/2025, 02/28/2026, 05/31/2026 and 08/31/2026 (approved by motion).
Public comment and process: Michael Neal, representing local hospitals, spoke during the public hearing and asked the court to keep the rate at 6%. No other members of the public addressed the court on the matter before the court closed the hearing and voted. The court followed motions, seconds and roll-calls for each item and recorded approval by voice vote.
Next steps: County staff will proceed with the administrivia of billing and remittance under the new schedule and the tax assessor-collector will begin quarterly assessments per the adopted calendar.
