The question to be posed to voters for the May 7 Rainbow Beach referendum is, at first glance, rather daunting at more than 150 words with the inclusion of several numbers and a math problem to solve at the end.
But what all that verbiage essentially boils down to is this: Do registered voters in Vincennes want a new pool?
And Steve Beaman, superintendent of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, is hopeful the answer will be, “Yes!”
“I hope by the time people see this question, they already fully understand the situation, know what the pool will be, how much it will cost, and it all comes down to a simple, ‘Yes’ or ‘No,’ answer,” he said. “By May 7, you should be able to read that question and already know if you are for or against this project. That has been our main goal.”
The actual language of the question has gone back and forth between the parks board and the state Department of Local Government Finance until, finally, it was given two thumbs up at the state level. The county election board has also approved the question.
And by nature, it’s bound to be a bit complicated, Beaman said.
“Nearly every aspect of the project must be crammed into a one-sentence question,” he said. “It’s just the legal process. It has to mention everything that is going to affect the amount of the bond. It can’t be vague.”
The bond issue cannot exceed $3.8 million, although Beaman says he thinks the actual cost of the 8,300-square-foot facility will be closer to $3.4 million if not a little less than that.
At $3.8 million, a homeowner would pay less than 8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation in new taxes.
With money raised from donations, the final amount of the bond issue could be even less. A political action committee has been formed to raise money for construction; every dollar the group collects will be taken off the bond issue.
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Should the referendum pass and construction get underway, Beaman said he expects the new Rainbow Beach Aquatic Center would open Memorial Day weekend 2014.
http://www.suncommercial.com/articles/2013/03/28/news/local_news/doc5154f70b725e3909841959.txt
