A majority of voters in 10 counties approved the $32 million general obligation bond referendum for the Iowa Valley Community College District on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Chancellor Kristie Fisher watched the election results pour in to the Marshall County Auditor’s office. In order to pass, the measure needed the approval of at least 60 percent of voters.

The election closed with 62.43 percent of voters, or 6,909 in favor of the bond. Of the 11,067 votes, only 4,158, or 37.57 percent, were against.

In Marshall County, the bond received approval 61.38 percent, or 2,540 of the 4,138 votes.

Not all counties had such stellar numbers. Story County, for example, did not have any votes cast. Fisher said that is because the district encompasses a very small geographical area of the county.

The district includes all or parts of the counties of:

• Marshall

• Butler

• Franklin

• Grundy

• Hamilton

• Hardin

• Jasper

• Poweshiek

• Story

• Tama

Nevertheless, Fisher was thrilled with the results.

“I am absolutely delighted and a little bit shocked,” she said. “I did not know what to expect. I did not anticipate 11,000 voters and getting more than 60 percent of them to vote in favor is a tremendous vote of confidence.”

The $32 million won in the election will be spent to:

• Renovate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – STEM – classrooms and labs

• Improve the Marshalltown Community College library, the Student Success Center, on-campus lighting and internet connectivity

• Remodel the conference center and workforce training space

• Upgrade security systems, aging HVAC and electrical systems and technical infrastructures

• Update dorms which were built in 1964 and 1970 and add capacity.

“We talked to the voters and we are going to be good stewards of tax payer money,” Fisher said. “We are going to be thoughtful and get the most for every tax payer dollar.”

The bond will raise property taxes on a $100,000 home by $3.32 per month or $39.84 per year.

Officials at the community college and throughout Marshalltown pushed a strong “vote yes” on the bond referendum in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 5 election.

“We were all about telling our story and getting the word out,” Fisher said. “Community colleges are not great at singing their own praises. It took time.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.