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PPEL vote clears approval at G-R

Results in Gladbrook and Reinbeck show polar opposites

The Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District will maintain its voter-approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy well into the next decade after school district voters passed a renewal measure Tuesday during a special school election.

The vote passed with 208 voters voting in favor and 143 voters voting against.

Voters in Gladbrook and in Reinbeck appeared on opposite ends of the measure however as Reinbeck voters approved the PPEL levy renewal by a nearly unanimous 155-4 vote, while Gladbrook voters were almost entirely against renewing the levy with 108 voters voting No and only 14 voters voting Yes.

This was the first public measure school vote at Gladbrook-Reinbeck since the district voted on whether to dissolve the district in 2017, a measure that failed to pass by nearly a 20-point margin.

The question on the ballot asked voters to keep the voter-approved PPEL levy at the same 67 cents rate that had been in place over the past 10 years. The vote and the PPEL levy are not related to the facility project at G-R that is being considered for a vote this fall.

At Gladbrook-Reinbeck, the PPEL dollars work to fund vehicle purchases, technology hardware and software purchases, facility repairs, equipment purchases and rental of facilities such as the Western Outreach Center at Hawkeye Community College.

In recent years the PPEL fund accounts for roughly $350,000 in annual revenue to support the school district. Following the successful renewal vote, the voter-approved PPEL levy will renew for 10 years from 2024 to 2034.

An official canvas of the special school election votes is scheduled to be complete by Monday, March 7.

Unofficial Special School Election Results

Absentee:

Yes – 3

No – 7

Gladbrook:

Yes – 14

No – 108

Reinbeck:

Yes – 155

No – 4

Lincoln:

Yes – 36

No – 24

Total:

Yes – 208 (59.26%)

No – 143 (40.74%)