DEXTER -- A plan for a new training center may have to be dropped from an effort to renovate and update facilities districtwide at Dexter schools.
Final estimates fall between $20 million and $21.9 million for a project list given to CTS Group, the company assisting with planning and design.
An extension of the existing 80-cent debt service levy would give Dexter approximately $15.7 million for projects, according to information discussed Tueday by the Dexter Board of Education.
The district will ask voters in April to approve a bond measure to pay for the projects.
It would require an extension of the current tax, plus an increase to meet higher project costs.
Eliminating the training center would save between $2.6 million and $2.8 million, explained Superintendent C.A. Counts.
Board member Rick Williams proposed dipping into the district's cash reserve to help cover costs. Williams said he would like to complete the project without raising taxes.
"I was still having a little bit of heartburn last week over running the bond issue with a tax increase," Williams said, later adding, "The way I look at it, if the bond doesn't pass, we're going to have to get into our reserves to do the roofs. We cannot go without roofs.
"It's either spend it now or spend it later, if it doesn't pass."
District cash reserves are currently around 44 percent of the annual budget, said Counts. He would be comfortable with maintaining a reserve of at least 30 percent, he said. Dollar figures for the reserve were not discussed during the meeting and were not available at press time.
The additional money from the district may not be enough to cover the training center, according to the discussion.
"I don't see a feasible way that we could do this with the training center. I think we're looking at too much of a discrepancy there to get there," Counts said.
Board president Kevin Bishop asked for the board to receive information before the next meeting concerning the reserve and how it could impact project spending.
CTS has said bond measures with no tax increase passed at a rate of 95 percent over the last seven years, Counts said. With an increase, that rate dropped to 65-70 percent, he said.
The board also discussed how extensive updates should be to an auditorium project, given that the district may decide in the future to construct a new building.