GILROY
– The possible $138-million Gavilan College bond measure will
likely be decreased before being put to the board of trustees in
November.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – The possible $138-million Gavilan College bond measure will likely be decreased before being put to the board of trustees in November.
After being presented at three public forums at Gavilan’s three sites in Gilroy, Hollister and Morgan Hill, the bond will now enter a revision process. The board will vote on the final bond proposal at its Nov. 11 meeting.
Due to public response, Gavilan will likely reduce the amount of the bond from its current price tag of $138 million, Gavilan College President Steve Kinsella said.
“We know our highest support level is a little bit below that,” Kinsella said.
The $138-million bond would increase property taxes $23 per $100,000 assessed property value. Kinsella told trustees the final bond might impact property owners at a lower rate of $13 to $18 per $100,000.
“We need to make sure we’re at a level that allows us to get what we absolutely have to have,” Kinsella said.
The board’s facility and budget subcommittees will revise the bond next week.
“They’re fielding comments from members of the public, too, so I’m sure they’ll have a pretty good sense of where they want to go,” Kinsella said.
Gavilan’s bond consultant, The Lew Edwards Group, will present the final bond proposal to board members and will recommend whether the bond should be on the March or November 2004 ballot.
The Associated Student Body will tap into student opinion with a bond-related survey to be distributed next week. Among more general questions, the survey asks students whether they know about the bond, what their attitude is toward the bond and how they intend to vote.
“Should the board decide to go forward with this bond, ASB would like to extend our full support,” President Simon Cooke said.
Cooke will present the board with the survey results.
The third and final public forum on the bond was scheduled during Tuesday night’s board meeting, held at the Morgan Hill Unified School District offices, but no members of the public attended. Kinsella instead briefly summarized the bond for board trustees, staff and ASB representatives in the audience.
