Rochester, Rochester Hills

Voters to decide $28.7 million Avondale bond issue Aug. 3

By Jennifer McDonald
C & G Staff Writer

ROCHESTER HILLS — Voters will be asked whether to approve a $28.7 million bond issue to pay for renovated classrooms, improved technology, and upgraded heating, lighting and security systems for the Avondale School District Aug. 3.

The issue, which officials say would improve nearly every school in the district — which includes parts of Troy, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills and Bloomfield Township — would complete the district’s capital improvement projects that began in 1998 with the initial bond issue, Avondale Superintendent George Heitsch said.

The bond issue asks for the renewal of 7 debt mills. While it would not increase taxes, it would increase the term of the district’s debt by six years, Heitsch said.

A bond issue allows the district to sell bonds in order to make building improvements. It is a separate funding source designed for specific projects. It's exclusively for capital improvements or the purchase of certain equipment. A bond issue, for instance, cannot be used to pay for employee salaries, benefits or the day-to-day operations of a district.

One mill nets about $1.245 million for the school district, according to the Oakland County Equalization Division. A mill is $1 per $1,000 of a home’s taxable value.

“It’s like refinancing your house,” Heitsch added. “(Taxpayers) will pay what they’ve been paying. It doesn’t change the amount (if it’s renewed).”

Four main areas would be focused on if the bond issue were approved, Heitsch said: updating athletic fields and stadiums at the high school and middle school, as well as improving energy efficiency, upgrading technology and remodeling the middle school to accommodate the addition of a sixth-grade class.

The district voted to close Avondale Meadows Upper Elementary in March to cut costs, which moves district sixth-graders to Avondale Middle School this fall.

“There’s been plenty of work done to the indoor of the high school, but the outdoor facilities have basically been untouched for a number of years,” Heitsch said. “Our athletic parents have been very patient and helped pass other issues. They feel it’s their turn to ask the community for support.”

However, Auburn Hills residents Robert Grusnick and Forrest “Skip” Taylor have started a campaign against the bond issue, saying the district is asking too much of residents during a difficult economic time.

“I’m not saying they don’t need it,” Grusnick said. “I’m just saying times are bad. We have a lot of people laid off, and it’s just not a likeable situation.”

Grusnick and Taylor have been distributing literature through the Avondale school district titled “Remember to Vote NO on the Avondale School Bond.”

While Grusnick said he “almost always” supports Avondale school tax issues, this time, he just couldn’t comply.

“In this case, it’s really the unemployed people in our area and the whole climate that got me started,” Grusnick added. “If this gets passed, our (debt) goes up, it doesn’t go in reverse. I’m not sure that’s a good thing for the taxpayers.”

While the district does face an approximately $4.9 million deficit for next school year, Heitsch said Avondale will get a break on the interest rate for $16 million because of the federal stimulus package.

“We think a community that invests in itself when the economy is not going so well will be in a great position to attract new families when things get better,” Heitsch said. “We’re thankful for the community. … We know these are tough times, and we hope they will continue to support us.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jennifer McDonald at jmcdonald@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1112.