The Idaho Falls School District has scheduled four community open houses to share information about a $250 million bond issue it plans to put on the November ballot.
The meetings will run from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 4-19 at locations throughout Idaho Falls:
- Oct. 4: Idaho Falls Activity Center, 1575 N. Skyline Drive.
- Oct. 11: Idaho Falls High School, Little Theater, 601 S. Holmes. Patrons should enter through the front doors on Holmes.
- Oct. 18: Skyline High School, Little Theater, 1767 Blue Sky Dr. Patrons should enter through the front doors.
- Oct. 19: Sunnyside Elementary School, Cafeteria, 165 Cobblestone.
Patrons will have a say on the record-breaking measure on Nov. 8. If approved, it would be the largest general obligation bond in Idaho history and would pay for upgrades to facilities across the district, including a new Idaho Falls High School, renovations to Skyline High School and two new elementary schools.
The price tag per household has come into clearer view in recent days. An impact calculator now on the district’s website allows local property owners to see how the measure would affect their property taxes.
The bond’s estimated annual cost: $233 per $100,000 of taxable value — $100 more per $100,000 than patrons most recently paid on the district’s outstanding bonds.
But the district says it plans to pay off outstanding bonds to help soften the blow.
“Those outstanding bonds will be completely paid off next year, so the $133 per $100,000 of net taxable property value patrons most recently paid on the bonds will drop off tax notices before the new bond levy appears on tax notices,” a statement on the webpage featuring the impact calculator reads.
Go here for a closer look at the state of facilities across the district, and how the measure could address them.
Bond issues in Idaho require a two-thirds supermajority of votes to pass.
