FAQ

About TJC

Annually, TJC serves almost 20,000 students across its credit and non-credit programs, more than 16,000 in credit programs and nearly 4,000 in continuing studies.

General Questions

  • Texas community colleges do not receive state funding for these types of projects and are required by state law to ask voters for permission to sell bonds to investors in order to raise the capital needed to renovate existing buildings or build new facilities. Essentially, it’s permission to take out a loan to build, renovate, and pay that loan back over time, similar to how a family takes out a mortgage for their home. The Board of Trustees calls a bond initiative so voters can decide whether or not they want to fund proposed facility projects.

  • TJC approached this milestone with a focus on long-term planning and management.

    In 2019, the college completed its Strategic Plan, charting a course through 2026.

    In 2022, TJC developed a comprehensive Campus Master Plan, documenting facility assessments and projected space requirements.

    By 2024, a Facilities Planning Committee made up of community members and college representatives was formed to review focus areas identified in earlier planning efforts.


    From this process, three major facility projects were identified to accommodate community partnerships, student learning environments, workforce preparation, and the college’s technological and physical infrastructure. The Board of Trustees considered the Facilities Planning Committee’s recommendations when calling the bond.

  • State law requires that bond funds be spent solely on the facility projects listed in the bond initiative. In addition, if the initiative passes, the college will invite community members to serve on a Bond Oversight Committee. This committee will meet regularly to monitor progress and ensure that all bond-funded facility projects are completed as planned.

  • The college itself does not set property values. Property values are determined by the Smith and Van Zandt County Appraisal Districts, independent government agencies responsible for estimating the market value of properties annually in each county. 

    The Appraisal Districts look at things like: 

    1. Recent sales of similar homes in your area 

    2. Market trends (supply and demand) 

    3. Improvements or changes made to your property 

    4. Overall neighborhood growth and development

    In short, the college doesn’t control your home’s value; the real estate market and the county appraisal process do. Find out more information at smithcad.org or vzcad.org.

Tax Questions

  • If you qualify for an age 65+ or disabled person residence homestead exemption, the college taxes on your residence homestead cannot increase above your approved tax ceiling as long as you own and live in the home, unless substantial improvements are made to the homestead. The tax ceiling is the amount you pay in the year you qualified for your exemption. While your college taxes on your residence homestead may decrease, they cannot increase above your tax ceiling. You must apply for this exemption. Apply here.

  • A college’s tax rate is comprised of two components: the Maintenance & Operations tax (M&O) and the Interest & Sinking tax (I&S). The M&O rate is used for the maintenance and operation of college facilities. The I&S rate is used to pay off tax supported debt. Bond sales only affect the I&S rate.

  • You can apply for the homestead exemption here.

  • If the voters approve the bond, there will be a $0.0334 I&S tax rate impact. For the average home valued at *$252,141 that would be an impact of $7.02 a month or $84.24 annually.

    *2025 average taxable value of a homestead within the TJC Taxing District

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