The Houston Community College System's $425 million bond referendum would provide funding for a new facility at the Texas Medical Center and expand campuses to accommodate a growing enrollment with renovations or new construction at all six campuses.
Trustees agreed to the bond election last week with an 8-to-1 vote.
The student population has grown by 40% over the past five years, district officials said, with campuses at 92% of capacity. Total enrollment is currently 75,000.
A $120 million replacement campus is planned for the Coleman College of Medical Sciences, which was built for 1,500 students but now serves more than 3,500.
Voters approved a $151 million GO package in 2003. A $300 million proposal was defeated in 1993.
The college system's $293.4 million of outstanding GO debt is rated Aa1 by Moody's Investors Service and AA-plus by both Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings.
Trustees stipulated that the top priority for the 2012 bond proceeds would be a complete the remaining work at a campus in Alief.
Trustees of the Alief Independent School District adopted a resolution in July opposing the college's bond plans. The dispute arose over delayed completion of a campus in the district, which joined the college system in 2009.
The system provides two-year academic and technical education to 2.2 million people in Fort Bend County and Harris County, which includes Houston.
The district's taxing boundaries include the Houston Independent School District, the Stafford Municipal School District, the Alief ISD, the North Forest Independent School District and Missouri City. Total taxable value in fiscal 2012 was $125.7 billion.
