School bond would not raise taxes

Carson City resident Russ Carpenter is skeptical about the school district's proposal to pass a $25 million bond to build an addition to Carson Middle School and make general improvements to other sites.

So he attended Tuesday evenings meeting to discuss possible projects and the effect they would have on the tax rate.

"I got some answers to some general concerns I had," Carpenter said. "Still, the language is vague, but less vague than it was before the meeting, to the school district's credit.

Marty Johnson, president of J&A Consulting, and financial advisor to the school district on bond issues, explained that the bond was tailored to not raise the tax rate.

Although the property tax rate could drop from 47 cents per $100 of assessed property value to 43 cents in 2008 if the bond is not passed, officials said it is unlikely taxpayers would see any savings.

Mike Mitchell, director of operations for the Carson City School District, said that in the past, when the school's portion of the tax rate has dropped, the city has incorporated the extra revenue, he said.

"If it went down $80 per year, you'd probably still pay the $80, but instead of it going to pay for schools, it would go to the city's operating fund," he said.

And under a tax abatement passed by the 2005 Legislature the assessed value of a home would have to stay flat or decrease - which is unlikely, Johnson said - before homeowners would see a reduction in taxes.

"We have a certain amount of revenue coming in," he said. "If the voters are willing to let us keep having this revenue, these are the projects we'll do for their benefit."

The bulk of the proposed bond would go to building an addition to Carson Middle School, which was built in 1954 and served as the high school and junior high.

For 15 years, the school has used 11 portable buildings to house the overflow of students.

The remaining $13 million would be used for general repairs throughout the district, including repair of about 80 percent of the schools' roofs and a new drainage system at Carson High School, as well as heating and air conditioning systems at other sites.

In 2002, the voters passed a $3.75 million bond to build an addition to Bordewich-Bray Elementary School, replacing mold-infested portable classrooms.

The 20,000-square-foot addition replaced 14,000 square feet of modular buildings.

The Carson Middle School addition would be a 35,000- to 40,000-square-foot addition to replace 20,000 feet of portable classroom space.

Since 2002, construction costs have risen from $200 per square foot to $380 per square foot, Mitchell said.

"Construction costs are rising 14 to 18 percent a year," he said. "The longer we put off these projects, the worse it's going to get."

Carpenter, who was one of a handful of community members to attend the meeting, is still undecided which way he'll vote come November. But, he said, he'll use information from the meeting in making that decision.

"It's disappointing that the members of the community who will ultimately be paying for this didn't come," he said. "I think it's everyone's obligation to make sure that government's managing money well."

• Contact reporter Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1272.

Proposed projects in the Carson City School District's $25 million bond issue:

Addition to Carson Middle School: $12 million

Upgrade to heating, ventilating and air conditioning throughout district: $7 million

Roofing rehabilitation and replacement throughout district: $3 million

Drainage and athletic improvements to Carson High School: $2 million