ELECTION 2024: Iowa Western seeking $55m bond for renovations, new facility

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT) - Iowa Western Community College (IWCC) President Dr. Dan Kinney says career technical education, which encompasses skills like welding, automotive and construction, is becoming popular among high school kids and adults.

“We’re really working with our high school students right now in career exploration: ‘What do you want to do when you graduate from high school?’” Kinney said. “And we’re seeing more and more students want to work with their hands in plumbing, electrical, diesel tech, automotive.”

He said a lot of those courses are at capacity, and that over the last five years, his institution’s diesel tech program has grown by 230 percent.

“This semester, we have 77 students,” Kinney said. “This base is built for probably about 50 students. You know, unfortunately, we’re turning students away.”

He doesn’t see that changing anytime soon.

“I’ve been in higher education for 25 plus years. The career technical side continues to grow.”

So IWCC is looking to expand and renovate facilities on several of its campuses and build a new diesel and auto tech center in Council Bluffs.

“It’ll be a transportation facility,” Kinney said. “What this transportation facility will do, it’ll double really the space our diesel tech and auto labs currently hold.”

To cover those expenses, IWCC wants to issue a 20-year, $55 million bond on 13 counties in southwest Iowa—all of which, Kinney said, his college system serves.

He added that a couple other bonds are expiring in the coming years, which would allow this bond to take effect without raising local property taxes.

“I think that’s the most important thing about it is our taxpayers will see their property taxes maintain their levy rate that we currently have as Iowa Western Community College. But we’re going to put the workforce to support southwest Iowa and keep our youth at home.”

In order for the bond referendum to pass, it needs a 60 percent supermajority.

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