Lakeland Community College bond issue defeated

Lake County voters on Nov. 6 rejected a $40 million bond issue to help Lakeland Community College expand its programs and services.

Known as Issue 3 on the ballot, the initiative failed by a margin of 47,582 to 43,296, according to unofficial, final returns from the Lake County Elections Board.

“We are disappointed Issue 3 did not pass, but remain committed to keeping Lakeland as the vital center of learning and job and skills training for Lake County,” said Lakeland President Morris W. Beverage Jr. “We hoped that voters could see this issue as a way to protect the community’s investment and keep Lakeland up to date. Keeping Lakeland up to date is crucial to our community — from educating and training our future workforce to helping employers fill critical jobs.”

The 0.4-mill bond issue would have annually cost taxpayers $14 per $100,000 in property valuation over the next 28 years, the Lake County Auditor’s Office reported.

Passage of Issue 3 would have allowed Lakeland to update its 35-year-old engineering labs

for advanced manufacturing to train students for today’s jobs, said Jessica Novak, Lakeland’s marketing and communications specialist. She said the state of Ohio already was supporting this project with a $4.5 million capital contribution.

Issue 3 also would have

made it possible for Lakeland to create a unified space for student services and math support to help more students graduate, Novak said.

She said Lakeland was aiming to redesign its student support services, many of which have been the same for 50 years, to reduce barriers for students. Issue 3 would have paid for a portion of these projects. Lakeland also had planned to

use state capital appropriations, college funds and other financing sources to fund these improvements.

Founded in 1967, Lakeland was the first college in Ohio created by a vote of the people, Lakeland’s website states.

With its main campus in Kirtland, Lakeland also operates the Lakeland East Campus in Madison Village and Holden University Center in Kirtland.