Capital improvement fund for Benton schools goes to voters

Voters in the Benton Community School District are being asked to decide Tuesday on the fate of a new capital projects fund, a year after a multimillion bond referendum in the district failed.

The fund — called the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy — would create more than $1 million in revenue annually for the district to pay for safety and security enhancements, heating and cooling upgrades, renovations to classrooms and outdoor infrastructure improvements including landscaping and playgrounds.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Polling places can be found online at iowaauditors.org/elections/voter_information. Because this is a special election, polling places may be different from a general election.

Benton Superintendent James Bieschke said the district sought feedback from the community, and collected 1,700 surveys, that helped the board prioritize projects to be funded. “Your voice, your vote,” Bieschke said.

It approved, the capital improvement fund would increase property taxes and state income taxes for schools within the district. Voters will be asked to approve a surtax on individual income taxes, as allowed by Iowa law, that would go to district schools — a way to avoid all the impact going to property taxes alone.

If the measure is approved, PPEL would be set through 2035 at a rate of $1.34 per $1,000 of taxable property value. But it is estimated the property tax levy would increase the overall rate 74 cents per $1,000 of taxable value.

For a $200,000 home, the estimated increase to school property taxes in the district would be $65 a year, or a total of $966 a year for all school taxes. The state’s rollback formula decreases the percentage of residential property that is taxable from 54.6 percent to about 46 percent.

Bieschke said the district is in the position of having finances available to fix something if it breaks — to make repairs as needed. But voter-approved PPEL would create a revenue stream for the district to make “major improvements,” he said.

He said the district is getting positive feedback about the plan, but he worries about voter apathy. “We need people to get to the polls,” he said.

Benton has one of the lowest school tax levy rates in Iowa — even if the new levy passes, Bieschke said. The current levy is $9.70 for $1,000 of taxable value. “We are responsible to our taxpayers, and we will continue to be,” he said.

The previous voter-approved PPEL for the district expired in 2010. It was used to improve district facilities and transportation.

“Our school district at the time was being fiscally responsible to taxpayers, and we didn’t have any major projects planned at the time, so they let it expire,” Bieschke said.

Almost 85 percent of school districts in Iowa have PPEL in place to help pay for maintenance needs and improvements.

Upgrades funded by PPEL — if approved by voters — would be renovations to indoor learning environments including flooring, wall coverings, ceilings and lighting, electrical work and disability access. Outdoor renovations at all attendance centers could include landscaping, signage, playgrounds, doors and roof repairs.

In March 2023, residents opposed a $48.5 million school bond referendum for Benton schools, with 64 percent voting against the measure and 65 percent voting against a levy to pay the principal of the bond.

Bieschke told The Gazette in June 2023 that he doesn’t look at the defeated bond referendum as a failure. “We gained so much information and created discussion in our community. Those are positive steps moving forward,” he said.

The proposed projects under the referendum included building a new elementary school in Van Horne, renovations and an addition to Atkins Elementary School and safety upgrades and improvements to the heating, cooking and electrical system at the middle and high school. It was the first bond referendum in the Benton Community School District since 1979.

“Even though the bond failed, our community is one of the most supportive communities of a school district across the state. They just didn’t like the last plan, and that’s why it was our job to come back with a new one,” Bieschke said.

The district serves about 1,700 K-12 students across eight communities — Atkins, Blairstown, Elberon, Keystone, Newhall, Norway, Van Horne and Watkins — and is growing by 1 to 2 percent every year, district officials said.

Linn-Mar, Marion seeking PPEL renewal

The Linn-Mar and Marion school districts also are asking voters Tuesday to consider extending the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy for an additional 10 years.

Both school districts have had the funds in place for more than a decade. If the measures are approved, PPEL would be extended through 2035 at the existing rate of $1.34 per $1,000 of taxable property value.

Voters in the Cedar Rapids Community School District will be asked in September to consider extending the PPEL for an additional 10 years. These funds support the maintenance and upkeep of the Cedar Rapids schools’ 425 acres and 2.7 million square feet of building space.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com