Three Village board calls $123.1 million bond referendum for Jan. 20; turf field placed in second proposition

Mr. Carlson, a district staff member presenting the capital plan, told the board the district prepared a resolution to call a bond referendum for Tuesday, Jan. 20, that contains two propositions totaling $123,112,828. He said Proposition 1 is $96,150,691 and Proposition 2 is $26,962,137 and that the district moved the artificial turf football field into Proposition 2 after earlier discussion.

The proposal would phase in the net tax levy increase over about four years, Carlson said; the district estimated the combined per-household net tax levy increase would be about $275 once fully phased in, with Proposition 1 alone representing about $215 and Proposition 2 an additional roughly $60. Carlson said phasing occurs because construction must occur before building aid begins and because the district will not carry all work in a single year. He added that after older bonds mature, the district projects the annual tax levy to fall below current levels in subsequent years.

Public comments entered into the record raised both support and opposition. A letter from Alex Dispenagaitis argued in favor of arming trained security staff and described such measures as preparedness; a separate letter from Stephanie Werner objected to the bond’s inclusion of a turf football field and urged the board to prioritize building repairs instead; and Amanda Hurd’s written comment criticized the district’s survey methodology used in the security discussion and called it unrepresentative.

The board then moved, seconded and approved the resolution to call the referendum. The voice vote as recorded in the meeting transcript showed no opposed votes and no abstentions; the transcript does not include a roll-call tally by name.

The district will present the resolution again on the agenda items that follow and carry forward public discussion in future meetings, staff said.