Debate heats up on annexing Pflugerville into ACC district

Homeowners would pay property taxes for educational services.

Months before Election Day, a robust discussion is underway on whether the Pflugerville area should be annexed into the Austin Community College district, with supporters and opponents making their case on social media and in the community.

While the idea of annexing the Pflugerville area into ACC is not a new topic, the election marks the first time voters will have a say on whether the time is right for Pflugerville to join one of the largest college systems in the nation.

The annexation election became official after ACC board trustees voted in August to put the item on the Nov. 6 ballot. A community group, Pflugerville Pfriends 4 ACC, collected 3,556 voter signatures, spurring the election.

If approved in November, the portion of the Pflugerville school district outside of the ACC district would receive services listed under a service plan approved by the ACC board. A small portion of the district, including Connally High School, is within the ACC district.

The service plan includes a discount on tuition fees — from $361 to $85 per credit hour — and opening a “Workforce Innovation Campus/Center” for education in health care, information technology, advanced manufacturing and other fields.

During a public hearing on the annexation in July, ACC President and CEO Richard Rhodes said the campus would ideally be located near a high school or hospital, with the focal point of the campus to be determined.

Other services — such as student advising, academic and career counseling, financial aid, noncredit continuing education, English as a second language, and adult basic education to prepare people for college-level courses — are included in the plan.

For those services, homeowners would begin paying an ACC tax rate of 10.48 cents per $100 property valuation. For an average home value of $273,327 in the Pflugerville district with a $5,000 homestead exemption, that amounts to $281 in property taxes.

Tammy Smith, chairwoman of Pflugerville Pfriends 4 ACC, said her group essentially wants residents to have access to affordable education so they can compete better with cities that are in the ACC district, such as Round Rock and Cedar Park.

Smith argues that numerous economic benefits would come from having a local education center. Daytime traffic from college students would stimulate more local business — from companies to retail to restaurants — and be convenient for people seeking continuing education.

But community groups such as Pflugerville Residents for Responsible Taxation and Pflugerville Pfriends Not 4 ACC are saying the price tag is too much for services rendered.

David Rogers, spokesman for the former group, said joining the ACC district would mostly fund services the college provides outside of the Pflugerville area, and only a portion of local residents would attend classes.

“It’s just a negative return on our investment,” he said.

On its website and through social media, Rogers’ group has used statistics to challenge annexation. Particularly, the group has pointed to a decrease in local students attending ACC over the past five years. According to one spreadsheet, local student attendance dipped from 2,088 in 2013 to 1,858 in 2017.

Terry Newsom of Pflugerville Pfriends Not 4 ACC said annexation would mean implementing a college property tax that would run in perpetuity. While that tax is small compared to most other taxing entities, he said it still has an effect on residents, especially those on a tight budget.

“Taking food out of one kid’s mouth and putting it into this is not a good trade,” he said.