Lone Star College System (LSCS) trustees will hold a public hearing Thursday, Oct. 1, on a proposed tax rate that could raise bills for some Woodlands-area homeowners despite a slight rate cut.
The hearing starts at 10:30 a.m. at Lone Star College-University Park, Commons Grand Hall, 20515 SH 249, Houston. Residents can also attend via Zoom using Meeting ID 827 6128 0653 and passcode 999845.
Trustees will decide whether to approve the rate after the hearing, Community Impact first reported.
The proposed total tax rate is $0.1058 per $100 of property valuation. That is $0.0002 lower than the current rate of $0.106.
But some Montgomery County homeowners could still see higher bills. Community Impact reported that taxpayers in the Montgomery Central Appraisal District and the San Jacinto County Appraisal District are expected to pay more because median property values rose year over year.
Even with a lower rate, a homeowner's LSCS portion could increase if their property value climbed, if they lost a tax exemption or if their assessed value exceeded the 10 percent appraisal cap, according to Community Impact's earlier reporting on the Aug. 6 budget vote.
Kristy Vienne, LSCS vice chancellor of administration and finance, addressed the bond debt strategy at the board's Wednesday, Sept. 16, special meeting. She said the proposed rate would allow the system to "pay an additional $60 million toward our debt obligation, generating a net savings of approximately $32 million long-term to taxpayers."
Vienne said LSCS aims to pay off $404 million in bond debt by roughly 2030 or 2031. Voters approved a $485 million bond package for the college system on Nov. 4, 2014.
Trustees unanimously approved a balanced $577.5 million budget for FY 2026-27 on Aug. 6. That budget includes 2 percent raises for full-time employees, part-time hourly non-instructional staff and adjunct faculty.
How to speak at the hearing
Residents who want to address the board must register in advance. Online registration is available at lonestar.edu/BoardCitizenRegistration and closes at 10:25 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1. In-person registration forms must be submitted to the chancellor's chief of staff no later than five minutes before the meeting begins.
Each speaker gets up to five minutes.
The board agenda will be posted at LoneStar.edu/Board three business days before the meeting. For questions, residents can contact Roycelyn Bastian, LSCS director of media relations and communications, at 832-813-6673.
