Bonding
issues
Public financing in the State of Michigan has been something of a sore spot for many area schools. With cuts being made across the board, no program or person is safe from the scrutiny that emerges from circumstances like these.
What people may not be aware of is a Michigan state law that established how funding will be acquired and distributed. With two separate sources of authorized revenue, each has specific methods for approval and determining the amount of taxes.
Day-to-day activities and services to the public are considered operating expenses. For school districts, the operating millage is approved by voters and is not intended for issues like building new facilities or major renovations.
“Bonding” is the other type of funding that provides for public entities in the state. The statutes require a school district to outline specific requests and then ask for direct approval from the voters. Each year the district issues the minimum tax needed to cover the yearly bond payments.
On May 8 of this year, Lapeer Community Schools was able to get a $56,750,000 bond proposal passed that will be repaid over 30 years through a property tax levy. While the funds were earmarked for numerous different causes, on June 8 the district announced the formation of several bond oversight committees to review all aspects and recommendations of the issues, including acquiring, improving and developing sites such as athletic fields, facilities and structures.
In spite of how things may seem, actions like this are occurring all the time and on an equally daunting scale. In 2006, Brandon spent $73,000,000 on upgrades which included the creation of a new stadium complex. Earlier this year, Fenton Area Schools received a $25,000,000 bond, one third of which was put aside for athletic issues.
“Grand Blanc is still using its original six-lane pool,” said Grand Blanc girls’ swim coach Lee Ann Hagen. “Many of our opponents have either upgraded to new pools or, like Fenton, enhancing the pool they have by adding two lanes.”
At Grand Blanc the pool will not sustain any athletic contests containing squads from more than two teams and Goodrich is left to wonder if they’ll ever see an aquatic sports squad.
That being said, the recently-approved Lapeer bond has been knocking around for years now. On May 3, 2005, the then $75,450,000 proposal was defeated at the ballot box 5,509 to 3,299.
The reason this issue eventually found the light of day is the scaled back nature it finally became engulfed in. People have to believe their hard earned dollars are being stretched as far as they possibly can before they approve decades of debt repayment.
As the era we reside in is so incredibly cost conscious, I would like to propose a solution that just might fit the bill.
In exchange for allowing a Goodrich swim team to call the Bobcats’ pool their home field, a bond specifically detailing the costs involved with the pool’s expansion at Grand Blanc could be introduced.
For example, $10,000,000 to be paid back over 10 years is quite reasonable in comparison to the amount spent by other area institutions. I can’t imagine this plan coming together without an attached source of funding.
With the 2007 Grand Blanc girls’ swim team carrying over 50 competitors, if the Martians found their initial turnout to be low, perhaps a combined squad could be created.
In order to allow for the greatest amount of participation, a junior varsity squad could be introduced as well if the numbers dictated it.
Not only would this give the Bobcats an upgrade to their existing situation, but it would allow a completely new squad to arise from whence there was none.

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