Bonneville County will be the taxing district for new community college, if passed
We are getting closer to May 16 is getting closer — the day Bonneville County decides whether to vote for Eastern Idaho Technical College to turn into a community college.
As of now, if anyone from Bonneville County wants to go to a junior college in Idaho, the county pays for the student’s tuition through its liquor tax.
“Well, what happens is the way the Idaho Junior College system is set up is that the counties, out of its liquor tax funds, pay those tuition dollars to a junior college. There’s a lot of students from Bonneville County that are headed over to Twin Falls or College of Western Idaho or up in North Idaho. There are only three junior colleges in the state, but right now we have an opportunity here in eastern Idaho to have a junior college,” Dave Radford, a Bonneville County Commissioner, said.
People paying property taxes in Bonneville County will be the ones to pay the property tax increase for turning EITC into a community college. This, in turn, will keep those tax dollars in eastern Idaho instead of sending kids to other areas for school.
“It’s just in Bonneville County. The estimates are about $13.37 per $100,000 worth of value. That’s the estimate. Right now every household fee in Bonneville County spends about $42 to take care of its garbage. What it’ll be, is about a third of that for community college,” Radford said.
So Bonneville County will have the chance to vote on whether it wants to cash out a little more money in property taxes to pay for the school.
“Originally I was against any property tax increase. So, I guess I’ve changed. I’m a convert after looking at 12 of the best people in eastern Idaho did a report about what are the possibilities of it, what is the need, and is it affordable? They came with a marvelous report. So I’m optimistic that it will be helpful and it will help our kids,” Radford said.
KIFI/KIDK will hold a debate so you can hear both sides to having a community college in our area. That debate will be Monday, May 8 at 7 p.m. at the Colonial Theater in downtown Idaho Falls. For those who can’t make it, the debate will be aired live.
