The 6.4 Mil Levy has been in place since 1954 and is up for reauthorization every eight years.
The levy provided about $75 million from property taxes to UNM Hospital last year.
Billy Sparks, executive director of communications and marketing for the Health Sciences Center, said the levy helps pay for crucial equipment at the hospital.
"It accounts for 14 percent of our annual budget. So, it's a huge factor in being able to deliver the level of services," he said. "It's money which is designated to operational costs of the hospital. None of that money goes to construction or any other expenses."
Sparks said New Mexico should continue to invest in UNMH through the levy because the hospital has signature programs that need state support.
"UNM Hospital is the only hospital with a level-one trauma center and has the only dedicated pediatric emergency room in the state," he said.
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Approving the Mil Levy this year will keep property tax at the same level for a maximum of eight years. However, residents could pay more or less each year depending on a change in their property value.
The levy taxes property as follows: The value of the property is multiplied by 0.64 percent - if a home is valued at $150,000, the homeowner would pay $960 per year in taxes to fund the levy.
Leslie Strickler, a pediatrician at UNMH, said the hospital desperately needs the levy funding and that without it, there could be severe consequences for New Mexico's children.
"From my perspective, as a pediatrician, I would be very concerned about the health care resources of the children in New Mexico," she said. "We are a very poor state and unfortunately have the third highest uninsured rate for children in the nation."
Sparks said UNMH has cared for 511,000 patients from Bernalillo County and attended to 90,000 emergency room visits in the past year.
Strickler said about 90 percent of New Mexican children rely on Medicaid for their health care and that the hospital needs federal funding to make up the difference.
Strickler said all of New Mexico can get better service at the hospital thanks to the additional funding.
"I believe that everyone should have access to health care, and that's not the state we're in right now," she said. "Students especially belong to a group of Americans that are often uninsured or under-insured and would receive their care at the UNM Hospital whether they have insurance or not. So it's basically an investment in their own health and also supports health care in their community."
Sparks said community support is vital for UNMH to continue providing services that need experts, such as cancer and trauma.
"We ask all the students to continue supporting us when they cast their votes," he said.
For more info, visit Tax.state.nm.us/trd_home.htm
