Two levies fail in Bonneville School District 93, one passes in Idaho Falls School District 91
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AMMON — Voters in Bonneville School District 93 failed to pass a multimillion-dollar supplemental levy and plant facility levy Tuesday.
The district, which is among the largest in the state, was asking for a $6,800,000 supplemental levy for two years ($13,600,000 total), and a $3,800,000 plant facilities levy for 10 years, ($38,000,000 total).
Superintendent Scott Woolstenhulme told Idaho Education News, that the plant facilities levy would help the growing district with upkeep. Since passing its 2011 plant facilities levy, Bonneville has added 400,000 square feet of new school buildings and 125 acres of property.
The supplemental levy would help absorb the costs of opening a new middle school in 2021-22. It would also replace an emergency levy the district has collected annually, to cover costs from enrollment increases. Districts can collect emergency levies without voter approval, but Woolstenhulme told Idaho Education News that Bonneville officials “no longer plan to include the emergency levy in our budget planning.”
Woolstenhulme also said the supplemental levy would help Bonneville offer competitive wages, especially to classified staff.
Voters didn’t appear to be on board with those plans.
The supplemental levy, which required a simple majority to pass, failed with 1,513 yes votes (42%) and 2,130 (58%) no votes. The plant facilities levy, which required a 60 percent majority to pass, failed with 1,499 yes votes (41%) and 2,127 (59%) votes.
The opposite was true in Idaho Falls School District 91, which was trying to pass its longstanding two-year $6,800,000 supplemental levy ($13,600,000 total). Voters approved of that levy with 2,113 (75%) yes votes compared to 704 (25%) no votes.
For more information on elections in District 91 or District 93 click here.