Geneva Schools present facts on Issue 36 athletic-facility levy at Oct. 13 council meeting

At the City of Geneva council meeting Oct. 13, Geneva Schools Superintendent Paul Lombardo and Board President Michelle Craig presented a fact sheet and answered questions about Issue 36, a proposed bond levy to build an athletic facility for the district.

Lombardo said he was "here to give you the facts around the levy, and only the facts," and walked the council and members of the public through the district’s materials, which include estimated homeowner costs, a maintenance plan and project options. He said the district will publish the fact sheet on its website and continue responding to questions via the district’s community outreach email.

The district described the levy as a facilities-only bond intended to allow students to remain in their home schools for athletics, expand participation opportunities, give the district control over shared space with the community, reduce travel for student drivers and create income opportunities by hosting interscholastic events. Craig said engineers involved in planning discussed a facility layout that would support up to roughly 4,500 spectator seats to meet event-hosting goals.

On cost, Lombardo told the meeting the levy’s estimated tax impact is about $5.75 per $100,000 of appraised property value. The district provided an example showing an average residential assessment of $177,000 would translate to about $62.10 annually for that average property; the presentation materials will be posted online, Lombardo said. He also described a maintenance forecast that lists routine work and an annual maintenance range of roughly $2,000–$5,000 if the facility is regularly serviced.

Craig described the district’s plans for a stakeholder foundation to help fund ongoing upkeep and fundraising for the facility. She said the board has discussed options for the project and had chosen a build option that the board would not fully fund from the general fund; instead, the board is seeking a combination of the bond levy, foundation fundraising and other revenues.

Several members of the public and candidates for local office pressed district officials for specifics. Steven Andrews, a candidate for the school board, asked about the district’s contract with SPIRE and whether a long-term renewal was already in place. Lombardo said a contract exists and would require negotiation when it expires in 2027, and that the district has been meeting regularly with SPIRE staff about scheduling and access. Lombardo and Craig told the council they continue to press SPIRE to meet usage expectations so school teams are not repeatedly displaced.

The presentation included historical context about Memorial Field: the district presenters said the property is no longer owned by the district and that previous insurance claims and subsequent use by other entities mean the school district does not currently control that site. District officials said a restored Memorial Field now serves youth programs and community uses but is not a substitute for the proposed facility.

District leaders said they worked with the county auditor and their bond counsel to review levy language and millage levels; Craig said the district asked the county auditor to reduce a village-level mill given rising property values and that bond counsel (named in meeting materials) had prepared the ballot language and related procedures.

No formal action or vote on Issue 36 occurred at the council meeting; the session recorded was a presentation and public Q&A. Lombardo and Craig encouraged residents to submit questions in writing and to attend upcoming district forums and a planned town hall where staff and the board will answer more detailed financing and scheduling questions.

The presentation and public discussion highlighted several open items the district said it will continue to address before the Nov. vote: final project cost details in the printed fact sheet, the discipline of maintenance funding and the outcome of ongoing scheduling negotiations with SPIRE.

Geneva Schools asked residents to send questions to community@NevaSchools.org (as provided in the presentation) and said the district will post the presentation materials online the following day.