ACC Bastrop Site

“Bastrop is a growing area, and ACC’s Master Plan calls for building a campus that will expand access to higher education and training opportunities in the community,” says Dr. Stephen B. Kinslow, ACC president/CEO. “Acquiring land now is a good investment for the future.”

The land is located west of the center of Bastrop, fronting FM 304 south of SH 71. Information about the selling price is not available at this time in order to preserve bargaining position in other land purchases currently under negotiation. ACC will release the purchase price at a later date.

ACC’s board-approved Master Plan includes the construction of a comprehensive campus in Bastrop ISD upon a successful annexation election. Per Board Policy A-3, the college is prohibited from using ACC taxpayer funds to subsidize the construction of a campus outside the taxing district.  A committee of Bastrop ISD residents – led by Tom Scott, Kay Wesson, and Lori Tuggle – gathered enough signatures to put annexation into the ACC taxing district on the ballot this November. The college will publish a Service Plan (programs and services ACC will bring to the community) and hold a public hearing. The ACC Board of Trustees will then formally call for the election this summer.

“ACC’s land-banking efforts are a proactive strategy to acquire potential campus sites within the college’s 7,000-square mile, 8-county service area,” says Kinslow. “Changing demographics, as well as increasing demand for workforce degrees and certificates, are driving dramatic enrollment increases.” 

Spring 2010 marked the fourth consecutive semester of record enrollment, with more than 41,000 credit students. Since spring 2008, ACC has grown by more than 8,600 students. That two-year growth is greater than the total enrollment of some area universities.

ACC engages in a master planning process to strategically manage growth and change, ensuring all operations reflect the institution’s purpose and mission of expanding access to higher education across Central Texas as well as increasing student success. The Master Plan calls for campuses to be constructed in Bastrop, Elgin, San Marcos, and the Buda/Kyle area, subject to successful annexation elections.

Bastrop ISD, Elgin ISD, McDade ISD, Hays CISD, and San Marcos CISD are all currently considering joining the taxing district. Only registered voters within each area under consideration will be eligible to vote in their community’s election.

Should voters decide to become part of the ACC District, homeowners would pay a property tax currently set at $0.0946 per $100 valuation. The total tax rate includes a maintenance and operations tax rate of $0.09 (which cannot be increased without voter approval); ACC also collects $0.0046 for debt service on facilities bonds. 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.

“Joining the district would bring more comprehensive programs and services specifically designed to meet Bastrop’s needs and enhance its economic development strategy,” Kinslow says. “Residents would also pay the much lower in-district tuition rate.”

In-district tuition is $42 per credit hour, compared with $150 per hour for out-of-district students (effective fall 2010).

The college expects to be able to complete construction of the first phase of a Bastrop campus in 2014, if the annexation effort is successful this November.

The existing ACC District includes the Austin, Leander, Manor, Del Valle, and Round Rock school districts, as well as the city of Austin.