Along with the November 4 slate of contests for Iowa school boards, city council members and mayors, there are several public school bond issue measures on ballots in Northwest Iowa.
Early voting is underway, and polls will be open on November 4 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. School bond measures in Iowa require a 60 percent supermajority of affirmative voting to pass.
The largest bond issue proposal is for $37 million for buildings in the Sergeant Bluu-Luton School District. SB-L voters have defeated many large dollar school expansion projects in recent years.
The next largest bond issue measure to go before voters is in Emmetsburg, for a $25 million package that would replace an elementary school that is 70 years old.
Other school bond measures are for $13.5 million of potential improvements to the junior and senior high building in the Lawton-Bronson district, plus $9.3 million for a project at Westwood of Sloan, Iowa, and $8.9 million for renovations in the Hinton district in Plymouth County.
All three of those latter measures this year represent continuing quests by leaders of school districts near Sioux City to pass proposals.
Two years ago in the Hinton School District, voters defeated an $12 million proposal, and there were defeats for an $18.6 million facilities plan at Westwood and for $17 million at Lawton-Bronson.
There are three more bond issue measures in the area, although those are not for schools, but rather county or city building projects.
One is for $12.5 million for a new jail building in Sac County, after voters defeated an $11 million measure two years ago.The existing Sac County jail received an inspection that showed it does not meet standards.
The other proposals are $16 million for a new fire hall in Le Mars and $1.2 million for a library in Alta, Iowa, in Buena Vista County.
