LOCKHART, Texas —
Austin Community College (ACC) hosted a public hearing on Tuesday for people who live in Lockhart to discuss the city's possible annexation into the ACC district and the in-district benefits Lockhart would receive.
The benefits include free tuition for high school seniors, no "out-of-district" fee and, potentially, the construction of a Lockhart campus. But those benefits come at a cost. If Lockhart is annexed, residents would begin paying property taxes to ACC.
At Tuesday night's meeting, ACC went over all the details before putting power in the people's hands to vote on.
The annexation proposal includes everyone who lives in the Lockhart ISD territory. It's the result of a petition from voters interested in joining the ACC district.
"The Caldwell County and Lockhart community is … growing very rapidly, and they're attracting a lot of exciting employers. But with that attracting of employers, they need to have the skills training in place to develop the workers, to be able to take on those jobs ... and to enjoy that prosperity of that economic development," Dr. Chris Cervini, the vice chancellor of Community and Public Affairs for ACC, said. "So if you're somebody in Caldwell County, this is a pretty important conversation that you need to be having."
The current cost for Lockhart students outside of the district is $286 per credit hour, but the in-district price is $85. To put that in perspective, in-district students pay $5,100 for a two-year degree, but the same degree out-of-district costs more than $17,000.
"I absolutely think communities could benefit from expanded pipelines and access to higher education. And that's not just the higher education that you get in the classroom. As a community college, it means the workforce training, the welding courses, the skilled trades, the construction, education – all of those pieces – nursing. Those hands-on credentials that will help people get on a trajectory to more prosperity," Cervini said.
The current ACC tax rate is at about nine cents per $100 of the value of a house. There are also some tax exemptions people may qualify for, like homestead, senior and disabled.
Tuesday's public hearing was held at 5:30 p.m. at the Gerry Ohlendorf Performing Arts Center on Center Street in Lockhart.
In August, the board will vote on whether or not there is enough interest to put this annexation proposal on the November ballot. If there is, Lockhart voters will make the final call in November.