Iowa Western seeks $55 million bond to expand career-technical training, asks voters to act Nov. 4
Summary
Iowa Western Community College president told the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors the college is asking voters to approve a $55 million bond on Nov. 4 to expand diesel, automotive and other career-technical programs and to add workforce bachelor's degrees if the state allows.
Dr. Kinney, president of Iowa Western Community College, told the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors that the college is asking area voters to approve a $55,000,000 bond on Nov. 4 to fund expanded facilities for career-technical education and other workforce programs.
He said the ballot measure will “not raise the property tax levy rate,” and that proceeds would pay first for a new facility for diesel technology and automotive programs, and then for expanded space for construction, HVAC, welding and related programs. “When I got here five years ago, we had 39 in our diesel tech. Today, we have over 80,” Kinney said, describing growth that has left some programs “outgrown the space.”
Kinney framed the request as a workforce-development measure: expanding training for high-demand, high-wage trades and creating space for a new supply-chain/logistics program, a dedicated CDL training area and room to double enrollments in several programs. He said the bond would let the college remodel satellite sites in Shenandoah, Clorinda and Atlantic to create “industrial flexible training space” for high school students taking career-technical courses.
Kinney said Iowa Western has grown dual-enrollment participation in high schools by about 20% over five years, and that the college currently serves roughly 600 high school students in career-technical programs. He also described earlier legislative discussion about allowing community colleges to offer targeted “workforce bachelor’s” degrees and said Iowa Western is preparing for that possibility — highlighting teaching and nursing as potential local priorities if the state permits such degrees.
Kinney urged residents to vote on Nov. 4 and said the bond is structured to continue expiring debt so it would not increase the levy. He also noted noncredit offerings and regional training work, including Iowa Western’s role as a regional training center for Kohler generator maintenance.
The board did not take a vote on the bond measure during the meeting; the presentation was informational and intended to inform local officials and the public ahead of the November election.
