Collin College board of trustees approved the annual budget that kept the tax rate steady at the Aug. 25 meeting. Trustees voted to keep the tax rate at 8.196 cents per $100 in property value, which makes it the fourth-lowest rate of the 50 community colleges in Texas. Collin College also has the lowest tuition in the state by almost $20 per credit hour according to a news release. Collin College board of trustees vote to keep tax rate steady.[/caption] “The board has either lowered or kept the tax rate steady for 16 years, and the last time it increased was 1992,” board Chairman Bob Collins said in the release. “We are fiscally conservative and this is a solid budget that looks to the future.” When Collin College opened 30 years ago, the tax rate was 8 cents, according to the release. Next year the tax rate is expected to be less than one fifth of a penny above 1985. While annual enrollment has increased by 55 percent since 2000, the new budget is based on a flat enrollment as student headcount has leveled off in the last year, according to the release. “We are committed to serving all students in every corner of our service area, and our trustees deserve tremendous credit for being responsive to constituents and committing to proactive and careful planning for the future,” said Collin College President Neil Matkin said. “There are a lot of new corporate and residential properties growing the tax base, and we are excited about new programs we’ve been asked to create to support business and industry in our community. We are also pursuing deeper partnerships with the K-12 schools in our region to create a seamless pipeline and college success.” Collin College is the only public college in Collin County and serves 52,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degrees and certificates.