TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Krishna Namburi, Acting City Manager
FROM: Krishna Namburi, Acting City Manager
SUBJECT:
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Request from Chemeketa Community College to support their $140 million building and renovation bond.
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All neighborhoods
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RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Information Only.
Chemeketa Community College President Jessica Howard has requested that City Council consider extending support for the College’s bond measure on the May 20, 2025 ballot. The measure asks voters within the College’s district to approve up to $140 Million in bonds to pay for building and remodeling for the College. As reported by the Statesman Journal:
“If the bond is approved, property owners would pay 27 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for 21 years - the same rate they are paying for a 2008 bond that is expiring soon.
For a property owner with a home with an assessed property value of $250,000, that is about $67.50 per year.
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If the bond passes, Chemeketa plans to:
• Create a new trades center on the Salem campus for people studying construction, to be electricians and HVAC technicians.
• Double its existing space for its paramedic program on its Brooks campus.
• Add a science lab on its Woodburn campus.
• Remodel Building 7 on the Salem campus, including changing unused racquetball courts into classrooms for a physical therapy assistant program, remodel the locker rooms, perform seismic work and replace the heating and add air conditioning.
• Make improvements on nearly all the other buildings the college owns, including adding modern technology, heating and air conditioning and repairing roofs and elevators.”
Next Steps:
Council may choose to support the ballot measure through different means, such as a letter or resolution indicating support, deliberate on the issue before making a decision, or take no action.
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Dan Atchison
City Attorney
Attachments:
1. None.