Marion County voters will once again weigh in on a bond measure for Chemeketa Community College during the May 20 special district election.

If passed, the proposed $140 million bond would fund updates and improvements across Chemeketa’s campuses — including those in Woodburn and Brooks — without raising the existing tax rate.

“What will be on the ballot in May is a proposal to the voters to continue the property tax rate as established by the 2008 bond, so this will not raise property tax rates. It will keep them the same,” said Jessica Howard, Chemeketa Community College president.

The bond would maintain the current tax rate of 27 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, equating to $75.60 per year for a home valued at $280,000.

The existing Chemeketa bond, approved by voters in 2008 for $92 million, is set to expire in 2026. This proposed bond is essentially a renewal of the bond that taxpayers have been paying for the past 17 years.

“Tens of thousands of students have been trained as a result of that bond levy in emergency services, health care, advanced technology, welding and more,” Howard said. “So this is something we’re quite proud of, and we feel very fortunate to have received that investment.”

The new bond proposal mirrors one that failed in the November 2024 election. In response, the college conducted a post-election survey and found many voters mistakenly believed it would raise taxes or were unaware of what the bond would fund.

Howard presented the updated bond measure at a March 25 Woodburn City Council meeting, emphasizing its focus on career and technical education.

If passed, Howard says the bond will dedicate 65% of its funding to upgrading classrooms, labs and hands-on learning spaces for high-demand career fields. That includes modernized facilities for programs in health care, emergency response and skilled trades.

At the Woodburn campus, the bond would fund the construction of a new science lab. This addition would allow Woodburn students to complete associate degrees locally without having to travel to Salem.

The bond will also fund safety and security upgrades across Chemeketa’s campuses, including improvements in disaster preparedness. Chemeketa served as the incident command center during the 2020 Beachie Creek Fire, and officials said this experience demonstrated the need for updated infrastructure.

Other projects include expanding apprenticeship spaces at a new trade center on the Salem campus and doubling the college’s paramedic training program to meet local demand for first responders, especially bilingual ones.

“We use and manage our resources and deploy them for maximum benefit to students,” Howard said. “I think this is an important point to make when we are out asking voters for support.”

If the bond does not pass, Howard said the college may be forced to make program cuts.

Ballots for the May special election will be mailed out starting April 30.