Jefferson seeks passage of gymnasium bonds

When Jefferson C-123 School District patrons cast their ballots in municipal elections April 2, they will once again be asked to approve a bond issue for a new gymnasium.

Similar ballot measures have been narrowly rejected by voters four times in as many years.

Last August, the bond issue failed to get the necessary 57-percent "supermajority," with patrons voting 210 in favor and 187 against. Roughly 70 percent of registered voters in the district turned out.

In hopes of attracting more "yes" votes, the district has scaled back the proposal from $1.75 million to $1.5 million, which means servicing the bonds would add 75 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to patrons' property tax bills. Last year's proposal called for an 89-cent tax increase, which would have come on top of the district''s existing levy of $5.53.

Though the bond amount has been reduced, the scope of the project has not. C-123 Superintendent Rob Dowis said Friday that if the measure passes, the district plans to borrow up to $400,000 from the Missouri School Board Association's Help Loan program, which offers money to school districts for capital improvements at 2 percent interest.

Dowis said the loan would be paid back with revenue from the existing levy. He said servicing that amount of debt will be possible because of energy savings created by the installation of a new heating and cooling system at the district's K-12 campus in Conception Junction.

Since embarking on the protracted quest for a new gym, Dowis has maintained the facility will provide the district with a lot more than an improved venue for high school basketball games.

For one thing, a new facility would free up the old gym for use by younger students, who currently don't have many options for physical activity during the winter.

"It has become more obvious to me that the academic part with the elementary is more important," Dowis told the Daily Forum in August. "We have the multi-purpose room, but it's just too small for the kids to get out and run."

Tri-C Partners for progress, a community group working for passage of the bond measure, is to host an informational meeting on the issue at 7 p.m. Monday, March 25, at the Tri-Meadows Reception Center.

Elsewhere in Nodaway County, voters will be asked to mark ballots containing a varied slate of municipal offices and tax proposals.

Four people are campaigning for two open seats on the Maryville R-II School Board, where W. Shane Sims is seeking re-election and four-term board veteran David Boyles has chosen not to run. Both seats carry three-year terms. The three remaining candidates are Missouri State Highway Patrol officer Dale Reuter, insurance agent Rob Sparks and businesswoman Reba Hageman.

Other contested board races around the county include:

∙Burlington Junction City Council, Matthew Rohlmeier, Eric J. Riley, Martha Greeley and Nathan Larabee running for two open seats.

∙Pickering Board of Aldermen, Bill Young, Ramona Pennington and Jennifer Wray running for two open seats.

∙West Nodaway R-I School Board, Jason Hull, Lee Perkins, Troy Brady, Lisa Linville, Mark Roberts and James Graham running for two open seats.

∙North Nodaway R-VI School Board, Jennifer Torres, Kane Oberhauser and Jeremy Bix running for two open seats.

∙South Nodaway R-IV School Board, Shawn Beck, Deborah Bennett and Lori Murphy running for two open seats.

∙Worth County R-III School Board, Mary Jo Fletchall, Karen R. Fletchall, Rodney Brown, Les New and Julia Cox running for two open seats.

∙Stanberry R-II School District, Brent Jennings, Joe Bremer, Tammy Gage Sparks and Mike Duley running for two open seats.

A number of tax issues are on the ballot, and all 15 townships in Nodaway County will ask voters to either approve bond issues or renew existing tax levies that will produce revenue used to purchase gravel and maintain rural roads.

The city of Barnard is seeking a $1.25 per $100 of assessed valuation property tax levy to pay for street repairs and maintenance over the next two years. Parnell residents will be asked to approve a 30-cent levy for park upkeep and a 40-cent general revenue tax.

Conception Junction voters are to decide the fate of a proposed occupation tax on natural and propane gas suppliers amounting to 5 percent of the gross receipts derived from the sale of gas within the city limits.