Petition effort a success (06/25/07)

More than 100 signatures were verified on petitions signed by Jay County land owners or residents hoping to slow or stop the proposed construction project at Jay County High School.

If the Jay School Board decides to move forward with the proposed $4 million multipurpose facility/auxiliary gym at JCHS, the process will move into competing petition drive process.

Bryan Alexander, president of the Jay School Board said this morning that "my assumption is that we will proceed."

The petitions were turned into the clerk's office on Monday, June 18 by Portland resident James R. Sanders, 420 E. Votaw St. It is not the James Sanders who is the Democratic nominee for Portland mayor.

Officials from the Jay County clerk's office first reviewed the petitions and verified those who signed as registered voters.

The petitions then went to the Jay County auditor's office where those who signed as property owners were verified.

Jay County auditor Freda Corwin said this morning that her office counted 91 good signatures.

The stack of petitions then returned to the clerk's office and will be rechecked and attempt to verify any signatures that were not verified as property owners

An official total is expected later this week, Jay County clerk Jane Ann Runyon said this morning.

After the total is certified the petitions, including a verifying affidavit from both offices, will be submitted to the Jay School Board.

If board members decide to proceed, a public notice will be published and the project will enter a 30-day waiting period. The board has an unlimited amount of time to make a decision to proceed, Runyon said.

Alexander said he believes the facility is needed.

"It is a matter of need. I think the biggest misconception is taxes ... The public doesn't understand the facts ... The money that will be spent on this is already in the budget. I don't blame them; I got my taxes too. It is a matter of education. (School) boards for 30 years have felt this is a need. It's a matter of priority for the corporation," Alexander added.

After that waiting period, a petition drive would begin. Yellow petitions support the project and blue petitions are against. The petition drive would last 30 days. Again, these petitions will be verified by officials from the clerk's and the auditor's offices, with registered voters and property owners eligible to sign. If the number of supporters for the project outnumber the number against, the project will proceed.

If the number of signatures not in favor of the project is greater the project will be put on hold for one year and the building project must start from the beginning, including a Public Law 10-28 hearing, where the board approves a cap for the project and preliminary plans.

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At the board's May 21 meeting, board members Alexander, Jay Halstead, Mike Shannon, Greg Wellman, Frank Vormohr and Mike Masters voted in favor of moving forward with construction of the estimated 27,000-square foot facility. Board member Larry Paxson was the lone opposition.

The estimated $4 million in costs includes $3.8 million in construction costs and an estimated $118,550 in non-construction costs.

Also at the May meeting, Jay School Corporation superintendent Tim Long said that the project would be tax neutral, which means no new tax burden for Jay County property owners.

Long also explained that the corporation currently collects approximately $3 million a year from property taxes which goes into the capital improvement fund. From this fund, $300,000 will be taken out of the capital projects fund each year and put into the corporation's debt service fund. This $300,000 will be used to pay the maximum yearly lease towards the $3.5 million in bonds that will issued by City Securities Corporation of Indianapolis for the project.[[In-content Ad]]