Jeff Malloch told us how West Ottawa (WO) decided what would be on the bond proposal. WO personnel compiled a list of everything desired to improve the facilities within the district. The average building age in the WO district is 47 years, so repairs are needed to keep the buildings in service. There are 2 pools within the district and the oldest was built in 1961. There are no longer any parts available to repair any of the equipment at the pool.
In addition, there are needs for bus replacements, safety upgrades, air filtration, air conditioning for the 5 elementary schools without A/C, and upgrades for instructional equipment. All of this was detailed and the district hired Epic/MRA to conduct a poll of the taxpayers in the district. Some items that were not supported by the majority of the respondents were dropped.
The average home value in the WO district is $400,000 and the millage for school facilities has been 7.75 mills for a number of years. The new request will be 0.25 mills less than this.
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