The Tarrant County College board of trustees approved a $429.4 million budget and a proposed tax-rate increase for the upcoming 2026-27 fiscal year at its Aug. 20 regular meeting.
The details
The budget will go into effect Sept. 1 and the proposed tax-rate increase will be voted on Sept. 10, according to board documents.
The FY 2026-27 budget will increase from last fiscal year’s budget of $415 million by 3.5% and prioritizes high-demand workforce programs, according to a TCC news release. Chancellor Elva LeBlanc said at the meeting that the state underestimated how much colleges and universities would need in funding for the upcoming fiscal year.
“Ironically, our success has put a strain on the state funding formula. That includes more students completing degrees and certificates, more workforce training and higher enrollment,” she said. “While that is exactly what the state asked us to do, it created a gap between funding available and the outcomes produced.”
LeBlanc said the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board adjusted its funding metrics and reduced total funding distributed to colleges and universities in the state. According to a presentation by Chief Financial Officer Pamela Anglin, the THECB underfunded schools across the state by $81 million. TCC expects to receive $59.6 million through the formula, which is $4.1 million less than anticipated.
Tuition and fees have also been frozen by Gov. Greg Abbott through 2027 for undergraduate students, according to a May release from his office. TCC’s certified taxable property values are now $283 billion, a 12.11% decline from the $322 billion received last fiscal year.
The budget will also grant employees a 2% salary increase and absorb an 8% increase in employee health insurance costs, the release states.
Zooming in
TCC trustees also approved the consideration of raising the tax rate from $0.11228 to $0.12 per $100 valuation to help bridge the gap in finding. The proposed $0.12 rate has two components. The maintenance and operations rate, which supports day-to-day operations, would increase from $0.09628 cents to $0.1055 cents per $100 valuation. At the same time, debt service would decrease from $0.016 cents to $0.0145 cents per $100 valuation.
The proposed rate would add $7.72 annually for every $100,000 in taxable value compared with the current rate. For a Tarrant County home with a taxable value of $350,000, the annual increase in TCC property taxes would be $27.02, according to a TCC news release.
The need for the tax-rate increase stems from the Tarrant Appraisal District’s decision to reappraise property values every two years instead of every year, according to previous reporting.
The college also reversed planned fee increases that would have generated more than $9 million in additional revenue, keeping tuition and mandatory fees flat for students, the release states.
Looking ahead
There will be a public hearing Sept. 10 for the proposed tax rate, with trustees voting on the measure that same day.
The tax rate has to be approved by Sept. 30 or the tax rate will remain the same, Anglin said. The 2026-27 fiscal year begins Oct. 1 and runs through Sept. 30, 2027.
