The Austin Community College board of trustees voted unanimously to extend President/CEO Richard Rhodes' three-year contract by one year during the board's Sept. 4 meeting.

The board approved raising his base salary 3 percent, the same percentage all other ACC employees will receive this year.

"We are so happy to have you for another year. We also thank you that you would take the exact same percentage increase as the rest of the faculty and staff is a testament to you being a team player with the college," board Chairwoman Barbara Mink said.

At an August retreat with an outside facilitator, the board discussed board priorities and the evaluation of the president.

"We went into executive session as a board and gave [Rhodes] feedback about what he is doing well and things we would like to see changed. There wasn't much in that category," Mink said. "He gave us a wonderful update about what is happening at the college and his priorities going forward."

Rhodes' base compensation was $264,000; the raise brings his total compensation to $271,920, said ACC spokeswoman Alexis Patterson Hanes.

Tax rate

At the same meeting, the board unanimously adopted its 2012–13 tax rate at 9.51 cents per $100 of valuation.

The board also set the following tax exemptions:

Homestead—whichever was greater, 1 percent of property value or $5,000

Elderly/disabled—$115,000

Historic properties—residential: whichever is smaller, 100 percent of the taxable value or the average taxable value of residential homestead properties within the college's taxing boundaries. Nonresidential: whichever is smaller, 50 percent of the taxable value or 50 percent of the average of non-homestead properties within the college's taxing boundaries.