MCC tax referendum possible
McHenry County College officials are beginning to work on expansion plans and might decide to seek funding for the project by asking voters for a property tax increase through referendum sometime in the future.
The college also could get funding through grants, donations and fundraising, said MCC board Chairwoman Mary Miller. Without exact plans for the expansion, it's hard to say how much the college will need — and where the money will come from, Miller said.
“It's too early too tell because there are no numbers yet,” Miller said. “Then we'd be able to figure out what we already have in our fund balance right now, and what we might need.”
McHenry County College's 2010 tax rate is 30.4 cents per $100 off assessed value, which represents a 10.9-percent increase over the 2009 rate.
In a workshop earlier this week, board members were told that presidential elections have the greatest voter turnout, but Miller said she thinks the November 2012 presidential elections are “way too early” to get a question on the ballot.
“(The presenter) explained how important it is to get out early and start communicating with your constituents and your stakeholders,” she said.
The college is working on a facilities master plan that Miller said she hopes will be finalized by the end of the 2011-12 fiscal year next June.
A special committee is reviewing proposals from 17 architectural firms and will be conducting interviews in late June or early July, she said. The committee hopes to present a recommendation to the board at its July meeting, she said.
Under the guidance of Tony Miksa, vice president of academic and student affairs, the college also is working on an academic master plan, which will ultimately determine the direction of the facilities master plan, she said.
“I think we all agree that community colleges are going to become more and more important for the training of our workforce,” Miller said. “Expansion is going to be a necessity, especially for the nursing program.”
The board recently voted to use eminent domain to buy 20 acres at 9010 Northwest Hwy. for an expansion after the property owners rejected the college's $750,000 purchase offer. The purchase would be funded by the operations and maintenance fund, expected to have a $10.2 million balance at the end of the current fiscal year, officials said.