After a lengthy discussion March 4, the Austin Community College board of trustees approved appointing 25 members to the Bond Program Advisory Committee for the potential Nov. 5 bond election.
The trustees also discussed whether committee members should have a spending limit if the board decided to move forward with the bond election.
Board President Jeffrey Richards said he wants to know if there is a scientific method of determining the best parameters for bond committees.
"There is an art and a science to this, and I see the art but not yet the science," he said.
ACC President Richard Rhodes said the committee would be given a complete list of the college's needs to start its discussion of what to include in the bond. The board also discussed the possibility of spreading out the facilities improvement projects over time. Trustees Victor Villarreal and Tim Mahoney brought up the idea of having the committee present a prioritized list to the board for facilities improvements.
At its Dec. 4 meeting, Mary Hensley, vice president of college operations, said that between April 2009 and November 2012, the board had 292 meetings to discuss the need for a bond election to fund a capital improvement program.
"I am very proud of how the college does work like this," Richards said of the board's decision process.
The board also received a presentation from Capital Metro about the sustainability and cost efficiency of the Green Pass Program. The Green Pass Program allows students, faculty and staff to ride Capital Metro buses at no additional cost and is covered by a student's sustainability fee, which is $1 per credit hour. The average cost per semester for students is $8, according to the ACC website.
