Though voter turnout in some precincts was as low as one-percent, a multi-million dollar bond issue was rejected Tuesday in northeast Iowa. Voters in northeast Iowa have turned down a 35-million-dollar bond issue for Northeast Iowa Community College. In a special election yesterday, the bond, which needed a 60-percent super majority for passage, received only 54-percent.
The unofficial vote tally in the 13 counties involved, was 7,393 "yes" votes, to 7,265 "no" votes, or 54-percent voter approval. Only three counties attained super majorities: Fayette, Clayton and Winneshiek.
If the bond had been approved, the money would have been used for construction and technical upgrades at the campuses in Calmar and Peosta. Some of the school’s buildings are over 30 years old. NICC officials have indicated that if the bond were to fail, which it did, they would try for another bond issue in the fall.