T-R PHOTO BY ADAM SODDERS – Iowa Valley Chancellor Kristie Fisher talks about the renewed effort for a bond election at Wednesday’s meeting.

More than four months after a $32 million bond issue narrowly failed, the Iowa Valley Board of Directors voted Wednesday to hold another bond election.

The bond question set for the Nov. 5 election is the same voters saw in the April 2 election.

“The needs are critical. They are becoming more and more evident every day,” said Iowa Valley Chancellor Kristie Fisher.

She praised her predecessor, Chris Duree, for his work to get data collected on the district’s facilities and infrastructures needs before he retired earlier this summer.

“(Duree) had a disciplined approach to studying the facilities and walked out the door with a wonderful plan that’s still up to date and relevant, and we think it’s time to go out and talk to voters again,” Fisher said.

Like the previous effort, this bond question will ask for voters’ permission to borrow $32 million for facilities improvements like parking lot repairs, improved security systems, HVAC system fixes, flooring, lighting and building renovations.

The effort to secure a bond to pay for those projects has been a prominent goal for the district since at least 2017, when TSP Inc. performed a $74,500 district-wide study of the district’s facilities and infrastructure needs.

The Marshalltown Community College, Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls and Iowa Valley Grinnell locations would all see some of the bond money if the measure passes.

“This is one of those decisions that we make that is not an easy decision to make, to go out and ask our voters for more money,” said Iowa Valley Board President Larry Johnson. “There are needs that have been identified and we’ve got no other source.”

Marshall County is one of 10 included in the Iowa Valley district. The district’s territory is based on public school district territories. In Iowa Valley’s case, Marshall, Hardin, Poweshiek, Tama and Grundy counties make up most of the district’s territory, along with small portions of Butler, Franklin, Hamilton, Jasper and Story counties.

When voters fill out their ballots, the bond question will be posed to them and a “yes” or “no” oval can be filled in to indicate a voter’s wish.

Marshall County Auditor and Recorder Nan Benson, who oversees elections in the county, said the question will appear on ballots for all voters in the county in the Nov. 5 election. That same election will see voters decide who sits at certain city council, school board and Iowa Valley board positions as well.

Benson said the addition of the bond question on the ballots will not be an issue for her office.

“It’s everybody in our county, so you don’t have to figure out which ballot it goes on, it goes on all of them,” she said. “That just makes it easier, really.”

Along with the approval of a bond question, the Iowa Valley board also approved an agreement with Economic Modeling Specialists International for an economic impact study for the district.

That agreement comes at an estimated cost of $14,000.

“We feel like it’s going to be good information to have as we go out and talk about the bond referendum, but just as important it is going to be good information to share with economic developers and with the business community,” Fisher said. “We should have it by the end of September.”

Unlike elections for political office, bond issues in Iowa must achieve at least 60 percent voter approval to pass, rather than a simple majority. The district came very close to that mark in April, with 58.4 percent voter approval.

This recent effort is the first time in more than a decade the district has pursued a bond issue. Last time, a failed issue in 2005 was brought back up in 2006 at $35 million and passed, providing funding toward the IVCCD Orpheum Theater Center, MCC Student Activity and Welding and Technology centers, as well as the Dale Howard Center and equine facilities at Ellsworth.

The next Iowa Valley board meeting is set for 4 p.m. Sept. 11 at Reg Johnson Hall in Iowa Falls.

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Contact Adam Sodders at 641-753-6611 or asodders@timesrepublican.com