Turnout was predictably low in last Tuesday's Duchesne County school bond elections, but voters approved both a $5 million general obligation bond purchase for new construction and repairs and a $2 million bond to refinance an existing debt.
The $5 million bond passed with 757 voting in favor and 486 voting against. The $2 million bond passed with 872 in favor and 368 against.That means the construction of 15 new classrooms at East Elementary will most likely begin this spring. Altamont High School will get a new gymnasium, and Duchesne High School will be remodeled to add a technology laboratory.
In addition, roofs will be repaired at Duchesne High, Union High, Myton and Altamont Elementary schools. A roadway and parking lot will be repaired at Neola Elementary, and heating and cooling systems at Neola and Tabiona will be updated.
Construction work, remodeling and repairs will be worked around school schedules to best accommodate the projects.
Of the seven voting precincts, just three - Altamont, Roosevelt and Myton - had majorities approve the bonds. Voters in Altamont showed the most interest, with a 34 percent voter turnout. In Altamont there was just a handful of votes less than the amount cast in Roosevelt, even though Roosevelt's eligible voters outnumber Altamont's three to one.
Majorities in Duchesne rejected the bonds, while majorities in Fruitland, Neola and Tabiona voted against the $5 million construction bond but approved the $2 million bond for debt refinancing.
The approval of the $2 million bond will allow the school district to proceed with plans to refinance an existing equipment lease over a six-year period to save approximately $77,000. While the refinancing will have no impact on taxpayers' pocketbooks, the $5 million construction and remodeling bond will increase the tax on a $75,000 home by about $10 a year. The $5 million bond will be paid off in 20 years.
A law passed by the Legislature last year allows the school district to take advantage of the state's AAA bond rating to receive a lower interest rate.
The bond election marked the first time in 26 years that Duchesne School District voters have been asked to approve a bond with a tax increase tied to it. In August 1995, Duchesne County residents voted on a $7 million bond to finance construction of a 160-bed jail and safety complex. That bond passed with a total of 632 in favor and 120 against.