Sheriff's levy, school bond on May 15 ballot

Sisters area voters will decide whether to fund sheriff's office operations and whether to build a new high school in the May 15 election.

Ballots for the mail-in election are to be sent out on April 27.

The sheriff's levy, which is a continuation of the levy currently in place, assesses 78 cents per $1,000 in property value for urban residents and $1.12 per $1,000 for rural residents.

There is no cost increase in the levy proposal.

According to the sheriff's office, the three-year levy funds patrol services, crime investigation, jail operations, search and rescue and other programs and operations.

Without the levy, sheriff's office services would be severely cut back and deputies would have to be laid off, according to Sheriff Les Stiles.

The Sisters School District is asking voters to authorize $20.5 million to construct a new high school and remodel the current high school for use as a middle school.

The district hopes to retire the aged middle school facility on Locust Street in Sisters and rezone and sell the property.

The school board has resolved that most of the proceeds from such a sale would be used to pay down the bond, with $500,000 held to fund future district offices and to create a maintenance reserve for all three district schools.

Both measures require a 50 percent voter turnout in order to be valid.

The sheriff's levy failed due to lack of turnout in March, even though some 75 percent of those who did vote approved the levy.