Fairfield school district: Bond vote will increase taxes but still below state average

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Community School District says that passing the $34 million bond for a new middle school will raise property taxes, but that Fairfield’s would still be below the state average even after accounting for the increase.

Since the school board agreed to put the bond measure up for a vote on Sept. 14, the district has published estimates of how the bond would affect property taxpayers in the school district if it passes.

The school district’s levy is $11.82 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. According to the district’s website, if the $34 million bond passes, it would increase the property tax levy to $13.33, above Pekin’s levy of $12.78 but less than the state average of $14.28 and below surrounding school districts such as Mt. Pleasant ($13.89), Washington ($15.94) and Cardinal ($17.30), as well as Ottumwa, Burlington, Keokuk and Centerville.

For a property owner with a $100,000 home, the tax increase would mean paying an extra $77.86 per year. The school district has a website (bondissue.org/Fairfield) containing information about the bond vote, why it’s asking for the bond, and a calculator to see how it will affect the district’s taxpayers. Property owners can plug in the value of their home, or their agricultural land, to see how their tax bill would change if the bond passes.

If the bond passes, the district plans to build a fourth- through eighth-grade facility south of the existing middle school on Fillmore Avenue. The single-story building would have separate entrances and separate “neighborhoods” for grades 4-5 and 6-8.

It would have separate parent/bus drop-offs and separate outdoor play and recreation areas.

The school district’s website said the school board chose to build south of the middle school because it will save money by using land it already owns and will be able to continue using the geothermal field at the middle school.

School Superintendent Laurie Noll said that, though the middle school is not the oldest building in the district, it is the one in greatest need of repair. If approved, the district expects construction on the middle school to start next summer and finish in time for the 2024-2025 school year.

Noll has conducted three public meetings to answer questions about the bond and is planning to hold two more. The next public meeting will be at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31, at the Fairfield Middle School. The last will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, at the middle school.

Absentee voting on the bond measure began Wednesday at the Jefferson County Courthouse and runs until Sept. 13. Voters who wish to vote absentee must fill out an absentee request form before filling out their ballot.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot to be mailed is Monday, Aug. 30. New this year is a rule stipulating that the ballot must arrive back at the county auditor’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day, so voters should plan accordingly.