(MSC News)--Voters in three area school districts will decide bond issues for facility improvements in Tuesday’s general election. Jackson County voters will also decide whether to renew a special sales tax for road and bridge improvements.
The four-tenths-percent sales tax would be renewed for seven years, beginning in April 2027, and generate about 600-thousand dollars annually for the county.
In Vermillion USD 380, voters will consider two bond questions for improvements at Frankfort and Centralia schools.
The first is a 16-point-8-million-dollar bond that can pass on its own. The second is a nearly two-million-dollar proposal that depends on approval of the first.
If both pass, the bonds would be repaid over 25 years, with an estimated tax increase of 19 dollars and 65 cents a month on a 100-thousand-dollar home.
In Jefferson West USD 340, voters will decide on a seven-point-five-million-dollar bond for improvements to five district buildings.
The proposal includes security upgrades, electrical repairs and updated heating and cooling systems. Parts of the district’s preschool building date back to 1966.
It’s the district’s third bond proposal, following defeats in 2024 and March. The latest plan was scaled back from the 17-point-five-million-dollar proposal rejected in March, with input from a community group.
Meanwhile, voters in Jefferson County North USD 339 will consider two bond questions.
The first would provide nearly three-point-five-million dollars for heating and air conditioning, roofing, security upgrades and high school parking improvements.
The second would provide up to one-point-five-million dollars for additional agriculture and web design classrooms, along with restroom renovations to improve accessibility.
District officials say the projects address facility and safety needs that are too costly to fund through regular capital outlay.
If both questions pass, the district’s mill levy would increase by eight mills, with the bonds financed over 30 years.
Polls will be open Tuesday from seven a.m. to seven p.m.
