Moraine Valley Community College Foundation Secretary Margaret Lehner spoke at the Palos Heights City Council Tuesday to appeal to residents to support the school’s upcoming referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The community college is asking residents in its district to vote yes or no on a question which would approve $115 million in bonds which would be used to “build, equip, renovate, and repair” buildings on campus to expand the school’s student capacity in high-demand career and technical education programs.
Lehner noted that, in particular, the school’s programs for automotive technology, emergency medical services, and welding have increased dramatically over the last five years and are now at capacity, while other programs like fire science, engineering technology, and HVAC/refrigeration are also growing.
The six programs highlighted in the referendum documents on the Moraine Valley referendum website are noted to have grown between 25% and 120% in the last five years, with EMT having the largest growth rate, with a 25% increase in the last year alone. All of the programs also represent career areas that are anticipated to see future job growth.
The new buildings that the referendum would create could support an additional 20% enrollment in the technical education programs, and provide new equipment and technology for the students in their training, according to MVCC.
“This is not just about buildings, it’s about giving students the space and the resources they need to learn, and helping us meet the shifts in employment needs,” Lehner said.
While the new bond issue represents a significant amount of debt the college would be taking on, Lehner argued that the impact on taxpayers will not be significant, since a previous bond issue and its related debt is set to expire at the end of the year.
A tax calculator tool is available for residents on the college’s website to determine the impact the new referendum will have on their annual property taxes based on their current assessed value, however, Lehner said that the average household should only see their taxes increase “by about one dollar.”
In its proposal, the school argues that it is an asset to the local community, not just for the service it provides, but because it contributes $1.1 billion to the regional economy each year and employs over 12,000 people.
