DEARBORN — Dearborn Public Schools has added two more town halls to present information and gather feedback on infrastructure needs in the district, how to pay for repairs and improvements, and whether residents would support a vote for a bond or other tax millage to fix those needs.
The new meetings are at 3 p.m. May 4 at River Oaks Elementary School, and 10 a.m. May 6 at Salina Intermediate School.
The first meeting was held last week at Edsel Ford High School. Residents can see the presentation used at the meeting here.
Residents can also fill out an online Google Form to share what they see as the top infrastructure needs in the district and give feedback on how the district should fund the work.
Meanwhile, to help residents better understand issues related to school facilities and financing, the district is launching a new Facilities Planning webpage. The slide presentation used at the town hall meetings is posted already, and the district expects to soon add a trove of other information including reports to the Board of Education and information shared with the citizen’s committee, called the Vision for Infrastructure and Planning Committee.
Information gathered from the survey and from the town hall meetings will be presented to the board at its May 9 regular meeting at 7 p.m.
On April 11, the board turned its regular monthly meeting into a study session to discuss funding options and infrastructure needs in the district. A citizen’s committee last month recommended the district put a bond question on the November ballot to pay for infrastructure needs.
The board also is considering using a sinking fund, instead of a bond, to pay for work. A 2 mill sinking fund would generate a total of $87 million over 10 years while 1 mill would generate about $43 million over that time. A bond question asking residents to keep the current 3.5 mill rate to pay for a 20-year bond would generate $200 million to make more widespread repairs.
A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value.