PPEL passes with 82 percent of vote

Although turnout was low, it was a good April Fool’s Day for the Newton Community School District as 82 percent of voters approved renewing the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy.

Unofficial results from the Jasper County Auditor’s Office indicate 133 people voted “yes” and just 29 voted “no.”

NCSD Board of Education President Andy Elbert was relieved the measure passed and commented on the matter.

“I’m glad that the community went and approved it again,” Elbert said. “It’s obviously important for our kids and our staff to continue to have the facilities to (attend) and learn in. It’s definitely needed, otherwise, the money would have to come out of the general fund and that affects the students and everybody else.”

The PPEL’s passing will also alleviate some of the worry Business Manager Gayle Isaac displayed at Monday’s school board meeting, where he stressed the importance of it being renewed.

“That dollar levy there (PPEL) is very important to the district,” he said. “We’re minimizing the use of sales tax for infrastructure, and we are using that PPEL money for roof replacements, boiler replacement, just an ongoing number of projects.”

He went on to say the district’s maintenance staff is projecting $200,000 worth of repairs for the Berg Complex next year and the district plans on using PPEL funds for that project.

The district collects between $650,000 to $750,000 annually through PPEL and uses those funds to purchase vehicles, provide facilities maintenance and update technology, as well as perform other actions.

At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 8, the Jasper County Board of Supervisors will canvass the elections results.

Senior staff writer Ty Rushing may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 426, or at trushing@newtondailynews.com.