Pflugerville ISD residents could pay more in taxes to gain access to Austin Community College’s in-district tuition rate and other opportunities if PfISD voters move forward with a measure to annex into ACC's taxing district in November.
The ACC board of trustees accepted a community petition calling for the annexation in June, and voted during a special meeting Aug. 17, to add the item to the Nov. 3 ballot which will go before residents living within PfISD’s territory not already in the college’s taxing district.
PfISD households that live in the city of Austin have been paying ACC taxes since city voters approved joining the district in 2005.
If the annexation measure is approved by voters, PfISD would join several other local school districts, including Austin, Leander, Lockhart, Manor, Del Valle, Round Rock, Hays and Elgin ISDs, along with portions of Eanes ISD, which have been annexed into ACC’s taxing district throughout the years since 1972.
Annexed residents would also be eligible to run for the ACC board of trustees and vote in ACC board elections, per a news release.
However, some residents have voiced opposition toward the potential annexation, saying that many of the proposed benefits are already available to PfISD students, and question whether in-district rates alone would justify increased property taxes.
How we got here
In June, the ACC board of trustees unanimously accepted a petition with 5,483 signatures from Pflugerville residents seeking to place the annexation item on the November ballot—exceeding the 5% threshold of registered voters living within the proposed annexed territory.
“Because of the great effort that communities often undertake to successfully complete annexation petition drives, once it is determined that the petitioners have passed the threshold, it is customary for the board to accept the signatures,” ACC officials said in an email to Community Impact.
PfISD voters rejected a similar request in 2018, despite garnering 3,556 community signatures in a petition in favor of annexation.
ACC officials said the college system must remain neutral on matters of annexation.
“Annexation is an important community decision, and local voters will determine whether Pflugerville joins the ACC District,” Chris Cervini, ACC vice chancellor of Community and Public Affairs, said in a statement.
The big picture
ACC held a public hearing July 16 regarding the potential annexation.
According to officials, ACC’s in-district tuition and fee rate is $85 per credit hour. Students who live outside the ACC district currently pay $286 per credit hour, which includes a $201 out-of-district fee. High school or GED students in ACC’s service area graduating between 2024 and 2028 qualify for the district’s free tuition. Students living outside the taxing district still pay the $201 fee.
For an associate degree, this equates to $5,100 in tuition and fees for in-district students and $17,160 in tuition and fees for out-of-district students, ACC Chief Financial Officer Neil Vickers said.
