Committee reviews four bond scenarios totaling $7.17M and leans toward prioritizing the auditorium and treatment‑plant work

District finance staff and advisor Chris presented four borrowing scenarios intended to fund a suite of capital needs including the auditorium, roofs, HVAC and a treatment plant project. The total list shown to the committee was approximately $7.168 million; scenarios differed by length (12‑year, 19‑year) and structure (wraparound versus level debt service) with estimated total debt service ranging from roughly $11.9M to $13.3M depending on term and structure.

Trustees discussed tradeoffs — higher short‑term payments versus longer amortization and bank‑qualified thresholds — and several members said they preferred flexibility and the ability to pay more aggressively later if cash flow permits. One trustee suggested narrowing the borrowing request to priority items and paying the remainder from fund balance. Chris calculated that the auditorium renovation and treatment‑plant demolition/installation together total about $5.75 million and recommended focusing borrowing on those urgent projects while handling lower‑priority work as pay‑as‑you‑go.

"I would do the auditorium renovation and the demolition and installation of the physical plants and then everything else pay as you go," Chris said during the discussion. The committee did not vote and directed staff to bring refined scenarios (including a smaller bond target) and repayment schedules for the full board’s August meeting; trustees acknowledged there is time sensitivity if projects are to remain eligible for upcoming financing windows.