West-MEC Eyes Tax Vote

Trustees of Arizona’s Western Maricopa Education Center Joint Technological Education School District No. 402 will consider asking voters in November for a property tax increase to support up to $85 million of general obligation bonds.

A bond committee is scheduled to outline the proposal for between $75 million and $85 million of bonds to school trustees in early May.

The district, which provides technical education for 12 school districts in Maricopa County, wants to build new facilities in the cities of Buckeye and Phoenix and expand existing sites in Glendale and Surprise.

If voters approve, the district plans to issue the bonds in three equal tranches over six years. District officials said a $75 million authorization would add $4.45 a year to the tax bill on a $100,000 residence.

The district has no debt.

The new and expanded facilities would allow the district, known as West-MEC, to provide training for an additional 3,000 students.

The largest proposed bond project is $43 million to build two classroom facilities on 17 acres of vacant land owned by the district.

If voters approve, the project would be completed in 2017.

The district would use $11 million of proceeds to acquire land and build a classroom building in the city of Surprise.

Programs at the campus could include medical and dental, aerospace engineering, and automotive technology.

West-MEC would use $8.6 million of the bond proceeds for expansion of its aviation training center at Glendale Municipal Airport.

It would also use $5 million to acquire land for a similar effort near the Deer Valley Municipal Airport.

The district would also dedicate $6.3 million to renovate a large building at the Deer Valley airport.

A request by the district in 2005 for $25 million of GO bonds was narrowly rejected.

Of the 13 joint technical education districts in Arizona, only one has successfully passed a bond package over the past 20 years.

The East Valley Institute of Technology, which is also located in Maricopa County, won voter approval for a $46 million proposal in 1994.

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Arizona
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