Jackson County Commissioners unanimously voted to approve a public hearing on a $105 million school bond referendum. 

The public hearing will take place at the Sept. 1 commission meeting and is a step toward adding the referendum to the ballot at the Nov. 3 election. Following the public hearing, commissioners will vote whether to authorize the referendum.

County Manager Kevin King said the county has already begun the application process required by the North Carolina Local Government Commission to add the bond referendum to the ballot. Though commissioners can vote against authorizing the bond referendum at the Sept. 1 meeting, it will likely go through, given the application process costs the county money.

As previously reported, the $105 million bond referendum will cover the costs of several school facility projects.

The hearing was originally scheduled to take place at the Aug. 4 commissioners meeting, but it has since been pushed back to Sept. 1.

Jackson County Public Schools Superintendent Dana Ayers, along with several members of the school board, attended last week’s meeting. In a later interview with The Smoky Mountain News, Ayers said she was proud to see that county commissioners were willing to allocate funds to address large capital projects across the county’s school district.  

“We are certainly in support of this and know that it’s not a matter to be taken lightly,” Ayers said. “But we are also thinking long term that if we don’t get these projects completed, the construction costs will continue to rise. They’re never going to be cheaper than they are right now.”

The $105 million will be allocated to the following schools for the following projects:

Smoky Mountain High School will receive $8,344,143. JCPS has already allocated $2,618,044 to the school, making the total budget $10,962,187 for the following projects:

  • Running track and field events – $2,517,355
  • Track restroom building – $735,832
  • ADA renovations at stadium – $500,000
  • Replacement field house – $5,779,000
  • Owner soft costs, 15% – $1,430,000

Blue Ridge School will receive $23,835,000. JCPS has already allocated $15 million making the total budget $38,835,000 for the following projects:

  • Site development – $7,156,000
  • New gymnasium – $14,126,000
  • Outdoor sports facilities – $501,000
  • Two-story classroom wing – $6,360,000
  • New kitchen and cafeteria (including Demolition) – $5,626,000
  • Owner soft costs, 15% – $5,066,000

JCPS has not allocated any county funds to replace their current bus depot, so the total cost to complete the project, $5,803,000, will come from the school bond if it is passed.

  • New building – $3,046,000
  • Demolition and site development: $2,000,000
  • Owner soft costs, 15% – $757,000

The proposed Smoky Mountain Middle School would receive $48,633,872. JCPS has already allocated $60 million, $52 million of which comes from a state grant, making the total budget $108,633,872.

Architects are still working on the site plans for the proposed middle school, and JCPS has not yet put out a request for proposal on the project. As of now, Ayers says the middle school numbers are a shot in the dark, as there have been over 30 iterations of the project plan in an attempt to find the best possible location for the school’s construction in the logistically challenging mountainous landscape.

Should voters approve the bond referendum, they would see a $48.60 increase in property taxes per $100,000 of property. For example, a property valued at $400,000 taxes would increase by $194.40.

Though she understands the weight of this decision, if it is put before taxpayers, Ayers believes at the increase would be a significant investment in the future of the county. “You’re going to get some folks who do not have children in school, who are going to say, ‘Oh my property tax rate is going to increase 4.86%’ What am I getting out of that?” Ayers said. “What we’re getting out of it is educating our community in facilities that are appropriate and much needed.”

According to Ayers, many of these projects have been delayed too long. Without a new bus depot, county staff have to work on school busses outside, exposed to the elements. The roof of the district administration building is leaking, and Ayers said one of the leaks is dangerously close to the server room. Should the leak cause an outage, the whole district would be affected. Staff at Blue Ridge School have been cooking in an inadequate kitchen located in a hallway. Ayers is concerned about all these issues and more if the bond doesn’t go through and said she would be pleading with commissioners to get creative in paying for these immediate needs.

The county has not already allocated any funding for a new bus garage, and as of now, the only plan to secure that funding is through the bond.

“If we cannot build a new bus garage, I’m going to have to put a roof on that building like yesterday. It needs a roof right now,” Ayers said.

Though adding the bond referendum to the November ballot is not a done deal yet, commissioners seemed ready to put it before the voters.

“I want to see the middle school; I want to see all the projects done in every community to get what they deserve,” she said.