PRESS RELEASE
May
1, 2003
Austin – Former Chairman of the Republican Party of
Texas, Ray Barnhart, announced today the need for Central Texas Republicans to
vote for Austin Community College on Saturday.
Mr. Barnhart stressed the solid return on your
investment in the College. “In this
case being anti-tax is being anti-education and we can’t let that happen. It’s time for Republicans to realize that
investing in Austin Community College means investing in Austin’s economy and
saving taxpayer dollars in the long run,” said Barnhart. Barnhart added, in tough times the demand
for the college services skyrockets.
Anti-tax protestors claim ACC’s tax increase is “80
percent and too high for seniors.” “An
80 percent increase is disingenuous,” said Mr. Barnhart. “As a senior citizen
with a $100,000 dollar house, the cost would be $4 dollars in the first year
for the phased-in tax increase, $6 dollars in ’05 and $8 in ’06.” Even after all the increases the ACC tax
will represent less than four percent of the total property tax bill.
Two dozen other well-known, conservative leaders for
ACC joined Mr. Barnhart. Railroad
Commission Chairman Michael Williams was scheduled to speak today, however, he
had to fly to Washington on business at the last minute. Chairman Williams said “…educational
opportunity needs to be available to everyone.
Austin Community College provides that opportunity for Central Texans,
especially for those high risk kids who need a higher education safety net.”
Nearly 50 Republicans have endorsed the two ACC
propositions on the ballot May 3.
Proposition one asks for a phased-in, four-cent tax increase. Proposition two asks for an extra penny for
a $99 million dollar bond package.
For a complete list of Republicans who have endorsed
ACC go to http://www.accyes.org/republicans.asp.
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