Gauging support for a Carroll bond issue

Carroll school district officials are seeking community input through a series of town hall meetings and an online survey to gauge support for a possible 2017 bond election.

About 35 people attended the first town hall meeting Nov. 15 at Rockenbaugh Elementary School, said Julie Thannum, assistant superintendent for board and community relations. Two other sessions were scheduled: Nov. 28 at Carroll Senior High School and 7 p.m. Dec. 1 at Durham Intermediate School.

The meetings cover many of the topics featured on the district’s new website, carrollbudget.com, including school finance, the recommendations of the capital needs planning committee, a campus-by-campus break down of possible repairs and upgrades and information on a potential bond election.

If Carroll trustees want to call a May bond election, they must make their decision by mid-February, Thannum said. Carroll’s last bond election was held in 2009.

Officials are studying a possible $208 million package, the amount that could be raised without increasing the tax rate, according to current growth and value projections.

“We’re not proposing a tax increase at this time because our residents’ home values are increasing so much we didn’t want to burden them with more,” Thannum said.

An online survey will be available Nov. 30 to Dec. 14 to collect feedback, questions and concerns from parents, staff and residents. Thannum said parents and employees should receive the link via email while residents will receive instructions to access the survey from a postcard mailed last week.

If board members call for a bond election, district officials would schedule another round of public meetings with the actual contents of the approved plan, Thannum said.

This story was originally published November 29, 2016 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Gauging support for a Carroll bond issue."