Fort Dodge Messenger, IA
06-14-07
ISU expert: Iowans bond with community colleges
Close relationships aid success of bond referendums, says Swenson
By MICHAEL NEARY, Messenger staff writer
Iowa community colleges harbor unusually close relationships to their local
populations, according to an Iowa State University economist, and that can make
bond referendums such as the one that passed Tuesday for Iowa Central more
likely to succeed.
Voters in at least portions of 10 counties approved an $18 million bond
referendum Tuesday, with a centerpiece plan to build a Bio-Science and Health
Science Center.
‘‘Iowans have a very strong affection and attachment to their community
colleges,’’ said Dave Swenson, an associate scientist in economics at Iowa
State University. ‘‘They’re very fond of them.’’
Swenson said most community colleges in Iowa — and in rural regions generally
— tend to tailor their educational services more closely to the regional economy
than urban ones do.
‘‘A community college in an urban area is thought of more as a generic college,’’
he said.
But Swenson said a referendum involving property taxes, such as Iowa Central’s
bond, is difficult to pass in any case. He said a property tax, paid twice a year, is
more noticeable than a gradually accumulating sales tax.
Swenson cited a number of characteristics a successful bond referendum should
include, including an appeal to a cross-section of people by offering several
distinct features. He also said the bond must be reasonable — and accompanied
by a ‘‘sincere case made to the public.’’
What won’t work, he said, is trying to slip the referendum quietly past voters
since tax-watching residents will detect the effort.
‘‘Those people are too smart,’’ said Swenson. ‘‘Those people live to find
instances where government is trying to do them in.’’
Officials at Iowa Central have repeatedly noted a larger push to publicize the
bond this time than in December, when a $10 million bond referendum failed to
receive the necessary 60 percent approval rate — or even a simple majority. The
larger number of residents who turned out this time suggests the push worked.
Out of a total of 4,321 votes in December, 2,145 were cast in favor of the
referendum. Unofficial results this time indicate that out of 10,801 votes, 6,969
were cast in favor of the measure.
Residents in outlying counties, where some of the gains were the most dramatic,
also noted the extra outreach effort.
‘‘I know that there was a calling campaign,’’ said Jane Heun, auditor for Greene
County, where affirmative votes jumped from about 56 percent to 76 percent.
Heun also said she received a postcard about the measure in the mail this time,
something she did not receive in December.
One reason the message resonated in Greene County, Heun said, was interest
from Jefferson-Scranton High School.
‘‘We have a lot of students who use Iowa Central,’’ she said.
The high school principal in Calhoun County, where the bond’s support grew
from about 58 percent to 75 percent, noted the importance of the school’s role
there as well.
Earl Trachsel, principal of Southern Cal Junior-Senior High School, said eight to
10 of the school’s 53 graduates plan to enroll in Iowa Central next year. He
mentioned, too, a series of dual-credit courses at the school, with the curriculum
provided by Iowa Central.
One facet of the bond referendum is to devote about $2 million to high school
programs.
He also said an Iowa Central representative came to a board of education
meeting this time around — a visit that was not made before the first bond vote.
For this bond referendum, the number absentee ballots also grew dramatically. In
the first election 79 absentee ballots were cast against the bond, with 69 in favor.
Unofficial results of this election show that 1,122 absentee ballots were cast in
favor of the bond, with 340 opposing. In all, the number of absentee votes
increased by nearly 10 times.
‘‘They worked the absentee (vote),’’ said Carol Messerly, the Webster County
auditor, who noted that the college sent out mailings with absentee applications.
Messerly also noted that college officials requested more voting stations for this
election, both within and outside of Webster County.
Contact Michael Neary at (515) 573-2141 or mneary@messengernews.net.