Austin Community College board calls for $770 million bond election in November
The Austin Community College Board of Trustees is calling for a $770 million bond election in November.
The bond, if approved by voters on Nov. 8, would provide funding for new construction, campus upgrades and student support services, such as child care and student health services. According to ACC, it would also help the college expand training capacity for jobs in health care and advanced manufacturing and would fund new sites in southeastern and southwestern Travis County.
“We have taken a thorough and thoughtful approach to develop a bond that can solve some of our community’s most urgent workforce challenges,” Nan McRaven, ACC board chair, said in a media release. “Austin’s fast-paced growth has created a huge need for homegrown talent to fill high-skilled, well-paying jobs.”
The board unanimously approved the bond proposal Thursday.
The bond would not result in an increase in the tax rate, but with an expected increase in property values, ACC estimates that a taxpayer with a home worth $500,000 will pay up to $5 more per year over the first five years, maxing out at $25 per year at the current tax rate. However, people older than 65-years-old and disabled residents will not see a tax increase as a result of the bond.
“The board has heard from our regional community advisors and organizations across Central Texas and they recommended we move forward with this bond package,” McRaven said. “The Board is confident these bond projects will provide what our community needs with no increase in the tax rate.”
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The package designates money to three regions of the district: $390 million for the South Region, $180 million for the Central Region and $200 million for the North Region. The trustees selected the projects within each region based on feedback from the college’s Regional Advisory Committees and advice from the ACC administration.
The projects include $100 million for a “significant expansion” at the Hays campus in Kyle dedicated to health sciences and nursing, $100 million for a new entrepreneurship institute and other expansions at the Highland Campus and $200 million for a “state-of-the-art” campus in southeastern Travis County focused on advanced manufacturing and skilled trades.
“It is important that this bond remain inclusive of every region and every campus,” ACC Chancellor Richard Rhodes said in a media release. “This bond ensures the college can regionalize programs and services so everyone has the training they need no matter where you live in the district.”
The referendum will be open to people who reside within the ACC taxing district, which includes the city of Austin and the Austin, Del Valle, Elgin, Hays, Leander, Manor and Round Rock school districts.
The bond — which is the third in ACC’s history — is double the size of the most recent $385 million bond package that voters approved in 2014, which included the construction of the second phase of the Highland campus, expansion of the Round Rock campus and multiple campus renovations. Those projects were completed on time and within budget, according to an ACC news release.
Officials said they plan to develop a website and schedule a series of community conversations about the bond to keep people informed before the election.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin Community College board calls for $770 million bond election
