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Kalamazoo City Transit Authority Proposal
Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency Bond Proposal
Portage Public Schools Bond Proposals
Proposals
Kalamazoo City Transit Authority Proposal
Shall the city of Kalamazoo Transit Authority, County of Kalamazoo, Michigan levy as new, additional millage, replacing previously authorized mills, an amount not to exceed one dollar ($1.00) per thousand dollars ($1,000) (1.00 mill) of the Taxable Value of all taxable property in the City of Kalamazoo for a period of one year, for 2008, to provide for public transportation services, including limited evening services? If approved and levied in its entirety in 2008, this millage would raise approximately $1,696,202 for the Transit Authority.
Yes___ No___
Background
This is a renewal for only one year that would be replaced in 2009 by the countywide transit levy. It will support continued Metro Transit operations in the city, and is part of a larger strategy to create a regional transit system governed by a transportation authority and funded locally by a countywide millage.
The cost of the millage request (1.0 mil) for a Kalamazoo homeowner with an average-valued home of $108,600 is $45 for 2008.
Rationale
Kalamazoo Metro Transit provides more than 10,000 rides daily on 41 buses. It operates 6 a.m. to 10:15 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with 22 separate routes.
Research has shown that 78% of the people who use Kalamazoo Metro Transit have no other means of transportation for work, school, shopping, medical or other trips because of age, disability, lack of license or lack of an automobile. Passengers include students, seniors, people with disabilities and commuters who choose to leave their cars at home or save money on gas, maintenance and parking.
In Michigan, public transportation relies on federal, state and local investment, along with passenger fares, to support services.
Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency Bonding Proposal
Shall Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, Michigan, borrow the sum of not to exceed Twenty-Five Million Three Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($25,350,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefore, for the purpose of:
Erecting, furnishing and equipping a new special education facility; partially remodeling, refurnishing and re-equipping existing facilities; and developing and improving sites?
Yes___ No___
Background
The building of a new Croyden Avenue School would address the needs of the growing population of students ages 2 – 26 with autism and severe cognitive and physical impairments within all Kalamazoo County school districts. The school will be built in a central location on property already owned by the Kalamazoo RESA. Services provided include classroom instruction, individual tutoring, physical and occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, mobility training, development of independent living skills, music therapy, sensory awareness and skilled nursing care.
The renovations to the existing Croyden Avenue School will provide a facility to house two countywide programs that are experiencing annual increases in enrollment:
- The Young Adult Program (YAP) which serves students with disabilities countywide, ages 18-26 as they transition out of special education programs to adult living.
- The Early Childhood Programs are countywide programs serving all children 0-6, and their families with resources including playgroups, developmental assessments, home visits and networking.
The request is for .29 mills annually for 14 years. The cost is $19.58 per year for a homeowner whose home has a market value of $135,000.
Rationale
At the Croyden Avenue School:
• Increased enrollment has created a severe lack of classroom space.
• The current “open space” environment results in extraneous noise, poor temperature control, inadequate bathrooms and obstructed mobility because halls are used for storage.
A new Croyden Avenue School would provide a remedy for all of the current issues and a learning environment designed to meet the needs of this special population for years to come.
Issues regarding YAP and Early Childhood Programs:
- YAP currently shares space with Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) on South Street. Both programs have had annual increases in enrollment. Bathrooms, hallways and classroom are inadequate for wheel-chair access.
- The Early Childhood Programs are currently leasing space at an outside facility not designed to meet specific needs. The lease entails costs; arrangements are unpredictable.
Renovation of the existing Croyden will remedy all the current concerns at YAP and the Early Childhood Programs and provide learning environments specifically designed to meet the future needs of these special populations.
Source: www.kresa.org
Portage Public Schools Proposals
Proposal 1 (High School and District-Wide Improvements)
Shall the Portage Public Schools, County of Kalamazoo, Michigan, borrow the principal sum of not to exceed Eighty-Nine Million Eight Hundred Eighty Thousand Dollars ($89,880,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds for the purpose of defraying the cost of:
- remodeling and constructing additions to Central and Northern High Schools and constructing replacement operations facilities in the School District;
- furnishing, refurnishing, equipping and reequipping new and existing School District buildings, including acquiring school buses;
- acquiring and installing technology infrastructure and equipment in and connecting School District buildings and associated remodeling; and
- acquiring, improving and developing sites, including traffic flow and parking improvements, and relocation of athletic fields and tennis courts associated with other high school improvements in the School District?
Yes___ No___
Proposal 2 (New Elementary Schools)
Shall the Portage Public Schools, County of Kalamazoo, Michigan, borrow the principal sum of not to exceed Twenty-Nine Million Six Hundred Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars ($29,675,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds for the purpose of defraying the cost of:
- constructing, furnishing and equipping new elementary school buildings at the School District’s 12th Street and Lake Center sites;
- acquiring and installing technology infrastructure and equipment in and for the new elementary buildings; and
- developing the sites of the new schools, including playgrounds at 12th Street and other site improvements associated with construction of the new buildings?
Yes___ No___
Background
The Board of Education approved two ballot questions to address needs of the district.
- Proposal 1 would be a net mill increase of 1.64 mills ($89.8 million), with both Central and Northern High Schools undergoing major reconstruction, using both new construction and remodeling over the next four years. Each school would have a new main entrance and student commons, new academic areas with appropriately-sized class rooms, along with safety improvements including separation of vehicle, bus and pedestrian traffic. The proposal also includes technology upgrades K-12 districtwide, 18 new buses over three years, and restructuring of the Central High site.
Updates and improvements to technology include replacement of aging computers, improvements to wired and wireless data infrastructure, upgrades and expansions of data storage systems, replacement of printers/copiers, installation of digital video security systems and upgrades of classroom teaching tools.
- Proposal 2 would be a net mill increase of .70 mills ($29.6 million). This proposal would build an elementary on District property on 12th Street (designed to allow for expansion in the future) and rebuild Lake Center Elementary behind the existing school.
If both proposals are approved by voters, the average home-owner (with a property value of $156,000) would see a combined annual increase of $166 ($116 for Prop 1; $50 for Prop 2). With the approval of both proposals, Portage Schools will be among the three lowest districts in the area in millage rate.
The length of the bonds is 24.2 years; however, for those components of the bond which have a shorter life-span, such as technology and buses, those expenses are paid off during the tenure of their service.
Rationale
- Following the narrow defeat of a February request, surveys were conducted to solicit community input. Those results indicated that there was support for some improvements identified as critical educational needs.
- The Board of Education developed these proposals which offer choices to voters. If voters approve Prop 1, but not Prop 2, the District would move forward with the provisions of Prop 1. Likewise, if Prop 2 is approved, but not Prop 1, the provisions of Prop 2 will be followed.
- These proposals request a lesser amount than the prior request. The bond request (with both Prop 1 and Prop 2 combined) has been scaled back by $26 million from last February’s request.
This content is derived from information available at: www.portageps.org. See that website for additional details.
These statements are not intended to indicate either support or opposition to the proposal by the League of Women Voters. We encourage voters to consider the rationale and other information, as needed, when they vote.