The South Tama County Community School District and the school board will hold a series of upcoming information meetings focused on the March 1 bond issuance proposal.
The first meeting will be in person on Thursday, January 27 at 7 p.m. at the STC Middle School Library (201 South Green in Toledo).
There will also be a virtual meeting on February 10 at 7 p.m., as well as an in-person meeting on February 22 at 7 p.m. at STC High School (1715 Harding St. in Tama). Community members will have the opportunity to hear details, ask questions and provide feedback.
On March 1, the South Tama County community will vote on a proposal to issue bonds to renovate the Iowa Juvenile Home property to meet district college space and facility needs. The plan calls for renovating the property to provide a 21st century learning environment, with an addition to the north side of the original school building.
“Throughout this process of addressing our college’s facility needs, we have engaged and solicited feedback from members of our community. In fact, the solution on the ballot reflects the recommendation of our community-led Facilities Task Force,” said Mandy Lekin, Chair of the Board. “We look forward to these upcoming information meetings to learn more about the proposed project, how it would meet the needs of our colleges, the resulting property tax impact and other details. important.”
Over the course of several months, the community-led Facilities Task Force reviewed the college’s facilities needs and explored potential solutions. In December, the task force recommended to the board of directors the renovation of the Iowa Juvenile Home property.
The council established a project budget of $26.8 million, including $15 million from general bonds, $9.8 million from sales tax bonds and $2 million from cash sales tax. . Forty-four percent of the total project budget is provided from sales tax (not property taxes).
District officials reported earlier this week that the required 334 signatures had been collected on special election petitions to call for the special school election on March 1.
The exact question that will appear on the March 1 ballot is:
Is the South Tama County Community School District Board of Trustees in Tama and Poweshiek Counties, Iowa State authorized to incur debt and issue general obligation bonds in the amount not not exceeding $15,000,000 to provide funds to acquire, remodel, repair, rebuild, improve, furnish and equip the Iowa Middle School Juvenile Home, and improve the site?
If the bond issue is approved, the tax rate is expected to increase from $2.70 to $2.06 per $1,000 of taxable valuation due to the 2006 construction debt repayment of the STC Elementary Building and STC High School Debt Refinance 2017. Addition Project with New College Bond Debt.
More information about the March 1 bond vote and the proposed project can be found on the district’s project website, www.SouthTamaBond.org.
