Jasper County calls for a $6.4M bond election this November

Supervisors have called for a special election this November in hopes Jasper County residents will agree to a $6.4 million bond to pay for the second phase of the new Liberty Avenue Yard project, which will become the new home for the engineer’s office and the secondary roads department.

According to the resolution included in the board of supervisors agenda, general obligation bonds or capital loan notes would be used for the design, construction, equipment, furnishings and land site improvements for a secondary roads maintenance building. Voters will decide whether it passes on Election Day.

So in addition to voting for the next president of the United States and which two candidates will be on the county board of supervisors for the next four years, Jasper County citizens will essentially vote “yes” or “no” to this proposed project and payment method. The project is currently estimated at $6,224,080.

Similarly to how Jasper County pitched its bond referendum proposal for the new administration building a few years back, supervisors say the bond will not raise the county’s property taxes. The bond for the administration building was for $3.6 million and passed with 64 percent approval in March 2021.

Officials say the county can accomplish this due to its low debt. The resolution approved by supervisors on Aug. 20 states the property taxes of a home with an actual value of $100,000 is estimated not to exceed $10.41. But changes in other levies may cause the actual annual increase in property taxes to vary.

Newton News previously reported other projects besides the second phase of the new engineer’s office were included in the bond vote. However, it was explained by supervisor Brandon Talsma that spending thresholds for those projects did not exceed past the point where a vote of the people was needed.

“The reason it’s at $6.4 million is because, once again, with Ahlers & Cooney we reached out to them multiple times, we do not have to include those smaller projects on it,” he said. “We can include those projects as part of a larger bond issuance but not part of this bond issuance that we need approval for.”

Other projects initially mentioned in those early discussions include a training facility for the sheriff’s office, maintenance shops at Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve and Mariposa Park and an outdoor archery range and classroom components for the upcoming environmental education center.

While those projects are still being planned, they will not appear on the ballot. Only the bond request for the secondary roads project will be considered.

The total estimated cost for all projects is $7.5 million.

SECONDARY ROADS SHOP

For almost 100 years, the secondary roads shop has been located about 1.5 miles inside the city limits of Newton. According to the bond project communications on the Jasper County website, the main building was constructed in the 1930s and then an extension was added in the 1980s.

The proposed shop is located on a county road outside city limits and near Interstate 80, which the county says would eliminate the delay of navigating through city streets and allow for quicker response times. Staff say the current shop is in need of more space but is in deteriorating conditions.

Which ultimately limits secondary roads on the type of equipment that can be pulled into the bays. For instance, due to their weight, bulldozers and track hydraulic excavators are restricted to areas without basement underneath. The ceiling in the main shop is also too low to extend dump truck bodies for repairs.

Equipment only continues to get larger in height and width, making the current shop more obsolete as time goes on.

Photographs included on the county website show cracks, exposed rebar and other deteriorations in the current office. It also includes a photo of the vintage 1935 Caterpillar Model 22, which is featured as a decorative piece outside the current engineer’s office along the 900 block of North 11th Avenue East.

The Model 22 is 9 feet long, almost 5 feet wide and more than 4.5 feet tall. It weighs more than 3 tons. Whereas a 1998 Caterpillar D5 is more than 11 feet long, more than 7 feet wide and almost 10 feet tall. It weighs nearly 13 tons.

SHERIFF’S OFFICE TRAINING FACILITY

Following the closing of the Jasper County Animal Rescue League a number of years ago, Jasper County took possession of the building in 2023 and conducted law enforcement training in the space. From there the sheriff’s office recognized an opportunity to create a training facility for all first responders in Jasper County.

The goal of this facility would be to allow first responders a safe environment to learn and train on the most current standards. Currently, the building is being used for training at a minimal standard. The sheriff’s office wants to add classroom space, restrooms and a training room with movable walls.

Additional renovations could also allow the advanced life support program to expand even further by providing housing for the ambulance, medical and training equipment and an office space. It would also allow for more EMS training opportunities and even CPR and basic medical classes for citizens.

By the end of 2023, a firearms range was added to the north side of the property. The county proposes the classroom and firearms range can be used for hunter safety courses and even law enforcement lead classes for citizens.

CONSERVATION PROJECTS

Four projects are planned for Jasper County Conservation. The first is classroom components — tables, chairs, projectors, whiteboards, laptops, microscopes, iPads, display furs and aquariums — for the environmental education center, which is going to be located on 40 acres of landed southeast of Newton.

Another component project at the nature center is the archery range, and bonds would help pay for the range itself and equipment, including a backstop berm, parking lot, backstop netting, a shooting shelter, target stands, targets, bows, bow stands and arrows.

The current maintenance shop at Mariposa Park, which is a detached garage, is dilapidated and no longer able to serve its purpose. Conservation has noted it needs to be replaced. The bond would fund the demolition of the old shop and build a new structure with an office for park staff.

In addition, a concrete pad and septic system would be established for a park host to be located at the shop in order to make Mariposa Park more accessible and user-friendly during the busy camping season. It would also provide 24-hour staff located directly in the park.

Another shop is planned at the Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve. The current shop is more than 50 years old. After the derecho in 2020 and the hailstorm in 2023 — coupled with a rusty roof and rotting interior — the structure needs replaced. The bond would build a new shop within the same footprint,

GIVE YOUR FEEDBACK TO JASPER COUNTY

Jasper County plans to hold numerous in-person and virtual town hall meetings leading up to the bond vote on Election Day. There will also be an open house for the secondary roads maintenance shop to close out the town hall meetings from 6 to 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at 4800 Liberty Avenue.

Zoom meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10, 24 and Oct. 8, 22.

In-person meetings are scheduled at 6:30 p.m. for the following dates:

• Aug. 29 in the Prairie City Community Building, 503 S. State St.

• Sept. 19 in Lynnville City Hall, 308 East St.

• Oct. 10 in Baxter Community Building/City Hall, 203 S. Main St.

• Oct. 17 in Jasper County Admin Building, 315 W. 3rd St. N., Newton.

• Oct. 24 in Amboy Grand Building, 220 High St., Kellogg.