Committee approves amendment to require municipal bond votes on primary or general election days

The Finance and Taxation Committee voted 6-0 on Tuesday to approve amendments to House Bill 1482 that would require most municipalities to hold bond elections on a primary or general election day rather than at special elections.

The change, discussed and moved by Senator Rummel, would remove the option to submit bond measures to voters at special elections and attach those measures to primary or general election ballots for cities, public school districts and park districts. The committee approved the amendment and then the bill as amended; Chairman Weber said he would hold the bill until legislative counsel and the Secretary of State confirm the changes are administratively acceptable.

The amendment narrows the timing of bond votes but does not alter constitutionally established debt limits. “We are taking away the ability to…have that done at a special election,” Senator Rummel said while explaining the amendment. She noted that the amendment addresses when a bond question appears on the ballot, not the constitutional percentage ceilings that govern how much a jurisdiction may borrow.

Under current constitutional limits discussed in committee, school districts have a base debt limit of 5 percent of assessed valuation and may obtain voter approval for an additional 5 percentage points (bringing the total to 10 percent). Other municipalities may have a 5 percent base plus 3 percent by voter approval (an 8 percent total). Senator Rummel walked committee members through those distinctions during the discussion, using simplified numeric examples to illustrate how assessed valuation translates into borrowing capacity.

Committee members also discussed practical effects of consolidating bond questions onto primary and general ballots. Rummel said doing so will make ballots more complex and noted statutory ballot-printing deadlines remain in force, including a requirement that election processes accommodate the printing timeline (a 20-day reference was discussed in committee materials). She and Chairman Weber said they consulted legislative counsel and plan to verify the Secretary of State’s office agrees with the statutory language added by the amendment before releasing the bill for floor action.

Senator Powers asked whether the amendment affected levy limitations; Rummel responded that the bill addresses bonding limitations and the timing of bond elections, not levy limits, which are a distinct topic. A question was raised about townships and whether they are treated differently; senators noted townships have special rules and raised uncertainty about whether township assessed valuation would be sufficient to support bonding, but no change specific to townships was made in the amendment.

The committee record shows Senator Rummel moved approval of the amendment and Senator Patton seconded. The clerk recorded the roll call for the amendment and for the bill-as-amended; the votes listed the following "yes" votes: Chairman Weber; Vice Chair Romo; Senator Marsali; Senator Patton; Senator Powers; and Senator Waller. Chairman Weber announced, “The bill passes six-zero as amended and I'm gonna just sit on it until we get word back that legislative counsel and the secretary of state are square.”

After the vote, committee members arranged for Senator Rummel to carry the bill, subject to the administrative checks described. Chairman Weber also said the committee will hold several other pending tax-related bills — including a gas tax and a couple of property tax measures — and will not schedule another meeting unless announced from the floor.

Votes at a glance

- Amendment to House Bill 1482 (amendment 25.0546.01003): Moved by Senator Rummel; seconded by Senator Patton; approved by roll call (6-0). - House Bill 1482 as amended (adoption by committee): Moved by Senator Walling; seconded by Senator Rummel; approved by roll call (6-0). Chairman Weber said he will hold the bill pending confirmation from legislative counsel and the Secretary of State.

The committee’s action changes only when bond questions may be placed before voters and does not change the constitutional borrowing caps outlined during the hearing. Staff and sponsors said they will confirm administrative compliance before the bill moves off committee.