Pool/gym vote less than week away

Tuesday is voting day for residents in unincorporated parts of Jefferson County.

Residents living outside any town limits but in the county can vote to have a portion of sales tax redirected toward the project to build a new outdoor pool and a new gym facility in Fairfield.

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. All polling sites are accessible to elderly voters and voters with disabilities.

A sample ballot was published in The Ledger July 23.

Tuesday?s polling locations are:

? Blackhawk-Polk precinct ? Packwood Fire Station.

? Buchanan precinct ? First United Methodist Church, Fairfield.

? Center-Cedar precinct ? Jefferson County Agricultural Grounds Activity Building, Fairfield.

? Des Moines-Liberty precinct ? Libertyville Community Center.

? Lockridge-Round Prairie-Walnut precinct ? Lockridge School gym.

? Locust Grove precinct ? Batavia Community Center.

? Penn precinct ? Pleasant Plain Community Center.

Jefferson County Supervisors agreed in February to ask county residents to vote on contributing $1 million of county funds over 10 years toward the $10 million project.

After reviewing financing options four months ago, the supervisors decided to use part of the Local Option Sales Tax revenue.

Jefferson County receives a portion of L.O.S.T. and has dedicated 20 percent of L.O.S.T. funds to bridges and culvert improvements and 80 percent to property tax relief.

The county is asking voters to change 16 percent of the 80 percent property tax relief and designate those funds toward the pool/gym project, until $1 million has been contributed or 10 years have passed, whichever happens first.

?It is not raising a new tax,? said Dan Breen, pool and gym project committee member. ?The affect of approving this vote is using $14 per $100,000 residential valuation.?

At a February board meeting, Supervisor chairman Lee Dimmitt had said the board is not raising property taxes, but diverting 16-20 percent, from the 80 percent of L.O.S.T. that goes to property tax relief.

Instead of 80 percent going to property tax relief, 64 percent will be going to property tax relief, Dimmitt had said.

It?s estimated the deduction in tax relief is $14 per $100,000 evaluation for residences and $16 for agricultural land.

The supervisors said the money from the county, if approved by voters, would only be available if the pool/gym committee raises enough to reach $10 million.

The county would return to using the full 80 percent of L.O.S.T. for property tax relief as soon as $1 million has been contributed or 10 years have passed, said Dimmitt.

?We?ve raised $4 million in private contributions,? said Breen. ?The city of Fairfield is contributing $3 million. It?s critical to the success of the project to have local support and continue moving the project forward. The county vote is critical to our next phase ? grant applications.

?We will be going after grants but they require a show of local support, which Fairfield has demonstrated and the unincorporated portions of the county can also demonstrate by voting yes Tuesday,? said Breen. ?We can?t apply for the grants we?re looking at until all this is lined up.?

Fairfield residents voted in November and approved the city bonding for $3 million to assist with construction of a new outdoor pool at O.B. Nelson Park and a new gym to be added near the Roosevelt Community Recreation Center.

The county vote cannot include residents in incorporated towns, such as Maharishi Vedic City, Libertyville, Lockridge, Batavia, Packwood and Pleasant Plain without including Fairfield. Residents of Fairfield cannot be asked to vote on paying two sets of taxes for the pool and gym ? both county and city taxes.

?We?ve been working on this for two years,? said Breen. ?We knew when we started it would not be easy. We?re still fundraising and we plan to hold the line at $10 million for costs.

?This is a multi-generational project. It?s going to last and it has to be done right, built right,? he said. ?We want it built correctly so the city can operate it efficiently. The new gym needs to work in conjunction with the Roosevelt Community Recreation Center and indoor pool. It needs to be attractive and a pleasant place to visit.?

Breen, other committee members, county supervisors and city officials, all agree a new outdoor pool and a new gym with multiple courts and an indoor track, are economic development tools.

?These facilities will bring traveling teams to play,? said Breen. ?These type of community amenities attract families and businesses to locate here. This type of gym facility will eventually be built. The question is now or later.

?We are building a public facility with a majority of private contributions,? he said. ?It?s a great opportunity for our community. I encourage county voters to support this.?

Breen said he personally has talked with a couple hundred people in the past year about the project, and other committee members also have made presentations to clubs and groups and talked with others.

?Any group of people we?ve been able to sit down with and discuss about this project has supported our efforts,? said Breen. ?I?m optimistic people want to do the right thing.?

He added if Tuesday is not convenient, voters can vote at the Jefferson County Auditor?s Office in the courthouse anytime before Tuesday.

The auditor?s office, on the first floor of the courthouse, is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Election information is available on the auditor?s website at www.jeffersoncountyiowa.com.