Neighboring communities look into joining taxing district

With the high enrollment numbers for this semester and a brand new campus set to open in the fall, the Austin Community College District has experienced record growth and might be about to get even bigger. Five communities in the ACC service district, the North Hays Effort, which is a collaboration between Buda and Kyle, and Bastrop ISD, Elgin ISD, and McDade ISD independently, are in the petition phase of the annexation process.

They need to get signatures on a petition from at least five percent of registered voters in their community to include an annexation option on the Nov. 2 general election ballot.
Austin Community College District has a state defined 7,000 square mile service area, with a smaller taxing district contained within.  In order to expand its taxing district, territories, usually school districts, from the service area are annexed into the taxing district, usually through a general election.

Once signatures are verified, the annexation would go on the state general election ballot. The ACC Board of Trustees would present a service plan to the community outlining the services and options that would be open to them if they voted to become part of the taxing district.

If the annexation initiative does pass, the Board of Trustees would formally expand the taxing district borders. Residents in the new area would begin paying an ad valorem (property) tax, and would be able to attend any ACC institution at the in-district tuition rate.

The Bastrop County Friends of Higher Education web site endorses the annexation. The county's below average participation in post secondary education, and the growing need for a college education in the job market are cited as reasons why an ACC presence in their community would be worth the increase in taxes that the people in that community would pay.

Newly annexed Round Rock experienced a surge in ACC enrollment after they became part of the district. "Watching the growth in Round Rock, there were just under 3000 students from Round Rock (attending ACC) before their annexation, we are closing in on 5000 now, and they don't even have a campus yet," Brette Lea, Executive Director of Public Information & College Marketing said.

Not everyone in these communities is for the annexation. Some voters are concerned about the permanent tax increase that the annexation would lead to. The Bastrop Advisor, a Bastrop news publication, ran an opinions piece expressing concern over another taxing entity coming in from outside the community.

Taxes will go up for areas that are annexed into the taxing district. The average tax rate for community colleges in Texas is 0.15 cents per $100 valuation, while ACC's tax rate is 9.46 cents.

Lea stressed the value of community colleges and the importance of making sure that the fastest growing populations in the service area have access to an education.