July 28th, 2010
ACC contracts for San Marcos property

The ACC San Marcos property encompasses 96 acres west of Texas 123, south of Bowie Elementary School and south of San Marcos High School.

STAFF REPORT

The Austin Community College District has entered into a contract to buy 21 acres — and accept a donation of 51 — for a San Marcos campus off Texas 123.

The property is located in the Cottonwood Creek development on SH 123, south of downtown San Marcos. The cost is $2.28 million; the seller is Cottonwood Creek JDR Ltd., a Randall Morris company.

“ACC’s Master Plan calls for building a comprehensive campus in San Marcos, and acquiring the land now is a smart strategy,” said Dr. Stephen Kinslow, the college district’s president. “It allows us to proactively plan for growth in order to continue meeting the wide-ranging educational needs of our 8-county, 7,000-square mile service area.”

ACC’s master plan also includes the construction of campuses in Hays CISD, Bastrop ISD, and Elgin ISD. Like voters in San Marcos CISD, residents of Hays CISD, Bastrop ISD, Elgin ISD, and McDade ISD are currently considering joining the ACC District. Only registered voters within each area will be eligible to cast a ballot in their community’s election this fall.

The master plan includes the future construction of a campus in Leander as well; Leander ISD is already part of the ACC taxing district. Other areas in the taxing district include the city of Austin and the Austin, Manor, Del Valle, and Round Rock independent school districts.

Voters in Hays CISD and San Marcos CISD will go the polls Nov. 2 to decide whether to authorize ACC to annex the areas into its tax district. In June, ACC announced a contract to buy 96 acres in Kyle for a campus there.

If the measure passes in either or both jurisdictions, property owners will pay the district’s property tax rate, currently set at 9.46 cents per $100 in property value. The college offers a standard $5,000 homestead exemption, and senior citizens and homeowners with disabilities receive an additional $105,000 exemption, for a total exemption of $110,000. For example, the owner of a $120,000 house would pay about $108 a year, or less than $9 a month, including the standard $5,000 homestead exemption.

Residents in annexed areas pay $39 per semester credit hour in-distrit tuition and fees rate instead of the out-of-district rate of $137 per semester credit hour.