Belleville voters OK $48.5 million bond referendum

Belleville voters have approved a $48.5 million bond referendum to fund school improvements.

Results tallied by the Belleville Township Clerk’s office on Election Day showed 1,836 votes in favor of the referendum, with 1,152 against.

A home assessed at the average of $238,100 will see an annual increase of $156.54 per homeowner if the district picks a 20-year-bond, and $139.28 if the district borrows over the course of 25 years, school district officials have said.

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Schools Superintendent Richard Tomko said the district will work to put the projects out to bid.

“It’s a great day for the Belleville community and the students in Belleville,” Tomko said. “Now we can utilize these funds to really repair our schools, make sure our buildings are safe, in ADA compliance, and make sure our academic atmosphere is optimal.”

Resident Ana Umar, 47, the mother of two Belleville High School graduates, favored funding the school improvements. 

“The issues have to be addressed,” Umar said shortly after voting. “It is a much-needed change.”

The state has promised to reimburse the school district 49.75 percent of the borrowed funds through debt service aid.

The approval marks the first time in more than a decade voters in Belleville have approved a school bond referendum. Voters rejected a bond proposal in 2005 and two times before that in recent years.

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The bond referendum, which had been opposed by some residents at meetings, received support from the majority of school board candidates during a forum last month.

Kenny Saunders, a 1969 Belleville High School graduate voting at the Columbian Institute of Belleville, wavered in his decision. “I usually don’t vote for something that I’m not sure about,” noted Saunders.

BOE

In the Board of Education race, newcomers Michael Sheldon and Erika Jacho came out ahead in the contest for two open seats, unofficial results from the Belleville Township Clerk’s Office showed.

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