BREAKING NEWS: Voters reject Owatonna’s public safety project

It will be back to the drawing board for Owatonna leaders seeking new public safety facilities after the measure failed in Tuesday’s election.

Voters said no to the issuance of up to $65 million in bonds for construction of a new police station and new fire hall.

With 12,195 votes cast, there were 9,348 ballots against the measure. The yes votes totaled 2,847.

In Minnesota, cities may issue bonds to pay for major public projects – like a new police or fire station – but residents have the right to force the issue to a public vote, a process known as a reverse referendum.

On March 3, members of the Owatonna City Council voted unanimously to provide preliminary approval to issue up to $65 million worth of bonds to build the new facilities.

The approval of the bond issuance prompted an immediate response from those opposed to the project.

One of the main requirements is signatures representing five percent of the votes cast in the last general election.

In Owatonna, that amounted to 721 signatures; organizers collected more than 2,500.