Alvin Community College regents unanimously approved a 6.85 percent tax rate increase last week, a step that officials said is needed to help fund much-needed campus maintenance and repairs.

The new rate of $0.1877 per $100 of valuation means that a property valued at $200,000 would pay $375.40 to the community college district, an increase of about $14 over the previous year's tax for the same valuation.

The board also approved a contract with ACGM Inc. to provide construction management services until 2021 as it has taken on $25 million in debt to make infrastructure repairs on the Alvin campus.

Regents approved the 2018-19 fiscal year budget in August. Property taxes comprise over half the college's revenues, with the rest covered by tuition and state funding. Tuition for in-district students has increased 7.5 percent in the past two years, to $840 for 12 credit hours in 2018-19.

The board will next meet at 6 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Nolan Ryan Center.