Ron Fedler said it was about 11:00 p.m. Tuesday when he learned his goal of a single Lee County courthouse was dead. Voters rejected the idea by a more than 2-1 margin at the polls.
“I wasn’t surprised it failed,” said Fedler. “I was surprised it failed by the vote margin that it had. I still think it was the most logical thing to do.”
The county sought permission to borrow up to $8.5 million. The money would be used to build the new courthouse near the county jail and to rehab the north Lee County office building for the health department.
Fedler said the historic courthouses in Keokuk and Fort Madison are showing their age, requiring several million dollars in improvements to bring them up to code. He said that money would be better spent on a new facility that would last for decades.
The bond referendum required 60% approval.
Instead, it failed 69%-31% with 19 of the 22 precincts voting it down. It also failed in early voting.
Fedler said given the margin of defeat, he does not plan to raise the issue again while in office. He believes it came down to money.
“The reaction I heard today from the people was that they are not in favor of any bond passing and spending any money,” said Fedler. “They want us to just quit spending money, period.”
Fedler said that could be problematic.
He said the county will have to pass a bond referendum to build a new health department building, with some projections putting the cost at $2.5 million, and a separate bond referendum to rehab the existing courthouses. There's also the question of restoring all services in both county seats.
Fedler said both issues are likely to be brought up during budget negotiations in January.
Opponents of this week's bond referendum were vocal during a series of public meetings on the issue, saying that the measure was rushed. The county board voted in August to place the bond referendum on the ballot.
Fedler disagreed with the idea that the process was rushed.
“If (the margin) would have been closer, maybe it would have made a difference. But by the margin it was voted down, it would not have made a difference.”
