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Task force urges three-question referendum including $24M bond and $600K annual levy
Summary
A community task force recommended the East Grand Forks district ask voters three questions: a $600,000-per-year operational levy for 10 years, a capital bond not to exceed $24 million over 20 years and a contingent $8 million preschool question; presenters said safety and security topped community priorities.
A community task force advising the East Grand Forks Public School District recommended the board place three referendum questions before voters: an operational levy of $600,000 per year for 10 years, a capital bond not to exceed $24,000,000 over 20 years and a contingent $8,000,000 question to create consolidated preschool space.
Rachel Lundboom, a task force presenter, summarized survey results and the panel’s recommendation: “So our recommendation would be to request the, the tax paying public to approve $600,000 per year for 10 years.” She told the board the survey (a 14% response rate) showed safety and security ranked highest among community priorities, followed by HVAC and plumbing and special education needs.
Consultants who presented referendum-support slides said different subgroups — nonparents, parents and staff — showed different tolerance for tax measures, and combined weighting suggested community support up to roughly $24,000,000. One presenter said the task force’s capital recommendation is “for a bond not to exceed $24,000,000 over 20 years.”
The third question, the task force recommended, would be limited to preschool facilities and would proceed only if the capital question passed. Presenters said the preschool issue emerged during task force discussions rather than the initial survey and was treated as a separate ballot question to give the community an explicit voice on that specific need.
Board members asked whether the preschool could be absorbed into the capital question if the third question failed; presenters and the district consultant Rob said the answer depends on ballot language and prioritization. Rob told the board that if voters approve a lower amount than the task force’s full prioritized list (which the presenters said totaled about $69,000,000 in needs), the district would have to decide which items to remove.
District officials stressed that the board retains final authority: the task force framed priorities and recommended referendum amounts, but the board would determine final ballot language and which projects are funded if voters approve less than the full request. The board did not take formal action on the recommendation at the meeting; presenters said a board decision or recommendation could be scheduled for a future meeting.
