Fair / 75° F
Outdoor facilities vote set for April 2
Published 11:07am Tuesday, January 29, 2013Following the narrowly defeated outdoor facilities vote last November, Fergus Falls School District residents will have an opportunity to vote on a revised, less costly plan on April 2.
“We had a community meeting full of people, and talked to a lot of people in the community,” said Superintendent Jerry Ness. “What we heard were comments on the complexity of the project, that the project was too large, and that we need to consider Otter values, tradition and history.”
The revised referendum is $700,000 less than the last proposal. It does not include improvements at Cleveland or Roosevelt schools — those changes will be included into the school district’s budget and completed as funds are available. Plan changes at the high school include relocating a maintenance shed to adjoin a new concession and restroom building rather than building a separate building, and reconfiguring tennis courts.
Ness added the plan will still add 100 parking spaces on the same level as the football bleachers to make them handicap accessible, and that plan costs would have been the same whether the football field was improved in place or moved.
The overall emphasis of the plan is student wellness and safety — avoiding driving off campus for activities, and reducing injury such as shin splints and broken bones by proper drainage of fields.
“I like that there are long and flexible spaces, and a design that is smoother for maintenance staff,” said school board director Matt Lemke. “The plan meets the needs we’ve identified.”
Regarding costs, the lower amount of bond means the bond issuance cost is less, and there are additional benefits to the taxpayer.
With the current bond issue, homeowners in the district are paying $24.16 per year on average on a $100,000 home. With that bond issue expiring, the proposed new bond issue, if it passes, would actually reduce the amount district homeowners pay to $17.69.
“I wanted to emphasize the point that Superintendent Ness made that this is a reduction in tax you are currently paying,” said school board director Melanie Cole. “A community member said to me ‘this is our backyard, this is where entertain visitors and this is where our children play.’”
Included in the motion was the wording for the ballot:
Shall the school board of Independent School District No. 544 (Fergus Falls Public Schools) be authorized to issue its general obligation school building bonds in an amount not to exceed $5,475,000 to provide funds for the acquisition and betterment of school sites and facilities, including the construction and equipping of additions, improvements, site improvements and related facilities to expand and improve the school district’s existing outdoor athletic sites and facilities?
The motion passed unanimously. Information will be published by the school board before the April 2 vote.
How nice. If approved it would cost taxpayers about seven dollars less than what we are paying now. How about not building it or anything else new for a few years so we don’t have to pay anything at all. I could use a few extra dollars in my pocket.
That is just wonderful.. let’s see 7.00 less on our property taxes sounds good ,, but I seem to recall the Social Security percentage is now 2% more so that is for most more that a deduction of 7.00 per paycheck.. so I agree lets just not build a dang thing for a few years.
“With that bond issue expiring,”
Am I the only one that caught these 5 words? The current bond issue is expiring meaning the $24.16 current will go away unless they get a new bond passed. Heaven forbid there be a year without a bond issue to collect. No new bond we will save $24.16 / $100,000. If this passes we will not save 7 bucks, it will cost $17.69 per
$100,000. We are still paying for the new school. How about a break in taxes for awhile? These issues were not brought up when Kennedy and Cleveland needed the big bond why now other than to keep the extra bond that is expiring?
” With that bond issue expiring”
Am I the only one that caught those 5 words? If the current bond expires, we will save $24.16 / 100,000 home value. If the new bond passes it will cost us $17.69 not the 7 bucks they are saying. We still have many years to pay for the new Kennedy and Cleveland bond that passed. Heaven forbid that a school bond ever expire without having a new one in place.
Typical flim flam from tax and spend other peoples’ money elected officials. Tell us that when an existing tax of , say $24.16 per month expires and goes to $0 per month, the taxing authority will raise a new tax of $17.69 and that will be lower tax payment than the $0 per month. If the taxpayers fall for that trickery in taxation, we can probably see why they also voted for 0bama – math deficiency. Does our school district actually think that the people cannot see the false logic of all this?
This is the second time the person calling himself Jerome Mullins was right. The first time was a typographical error which never the less accrued to the benefit of Jerome. So I suppose he gets credit for it.
It is very unlikely to occur again, so make hay while the sun shines, Jerome.
As usual, you add nothing to the conversation, RichardMunk. You follow Jerome around the Internet, like a lost puppy looking to bask in his glow. Honk, Bingo, Ka-Ching. What an intellectual you fancy yourself to be – hahahahaha.
I’m with everyone else. Screw the kids. Screw the future. My bridge partner Alice needs a new hip. My husband Arthur is a diabetic. We can’t afford another tax hike. How about we spent that money so people like me can drive without hitting something. Let’s invest in some sort of bumper system on the street curbs.
Mark, my deepest sympathies and best wishes for your husband.
How many times in a calendar year does this get voted on? Didn’t the citizens vote already? Lets see? It has been over four years since I’ve received a cost of living raise, but the school board continues to spend, spend, spend other citizen’s money. Get a clue, live within your means. You got a new school you use nine months out of the year. How do you justify a “multi million” Outdoor Facility that will get used six times in the fall. GOOD GRIEF!
How many are missing the 5 important little words, ” With that bond issue expiring”, ? Any new tax is more than an expired tax. Heaven forbid we get a year without an extra tax.
Ahhh seee…
To answer Vaughns Question, They will continue to ask for this tax increase until it finally passes (ala the school referendum) and if they can’t get it to pass, they will find a way to make it a city problem and the city council will hold a few private meetings with the school board and alas, we will have another Hockey Arena deabacle except this one will be for other sports.
You see, the School Board already has this thing figured out. They will forever get what they want, when they have these votes during non election dates. You see the only people who are going to go out and vote adamnatly are the ones who are pushing for this to happen, Most of the retired people such as my mother will unfortunatly stay at home because its just not a presedential or governer election, Sadly the school knows this about as much as we all know it.
During the primary election the school bond referendum failed miserably, yet they hold it during the spring like this one and it passed with astronomical numbers. Do you see the trend here.
We’re all screwed !!!
How can we get a ballot? It is not right to hold this vote when a lot of the snowbirds are still not home.
Les, why else would the election be scheduled for when many of our retired people, who see the absurdity of this proposal, are gone from town? It is called by all radicals as staging votes for times when you have only to turn out a greedy minority to gain a “majority” to impose your will on the people who have to pay for what you want.The master schemer here is the school superintendent , and a bamboozled school board.
Jay & others. Sent off a letter to the editor yesterday. It did address the snowbirds. Stay tuned & see if it gets to print.