Carmel School Voters Again Reject Bond Proposal
It might’ve been a new year, but the Carmel school district saw the same results when a bond referendum meant to improve facilities failed yet again Tuesday night.
Voters in the district shot down a $25.4 million proposal, resulting in the second failed bond in as many years after voters rejected a larger scale bond last December. The unofficial results posted on the district’s website was 1,334 voting against it and 1,192 voting in favor.
The bond was meant to repair roofs, make each building ADA compliant, enhance the old George Fischer Middle School library and build a new bus garage. District officials made a strong push to inform the public about the bond, sending out two mailers about it and hosting several informational forums. The district website also had widespread information about the proposal.
While many of the upgrades were deemed almost universally necessary like the replacement of roofs and ADA upgrades, a new bus garage was heavily contentious because it would take land off the tax rolls in the Town of Kent. Kent officials even spoke out against the bond because of possibly losing that industrial land.
The Carmel Board of Education will meet next week where it’s expected the aftermath of the failed bond will be discussed.
Check back in next week’s print edition of The Putnam Examiner for more on this story.
