Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com

Meeting in special session Tuesday night, the Brighton Board of Education unanimously approved a motion to hire the firm Clark Construction Management Co. of Auburn Hills as the construction management team for the upcoming bond issue.

An ad hoc committee interviewed three candidates for the job: AUCH Construction Co. of Pontiac, Barton Malow of Southfield, and Clark. Superintendent Matthew Outlaw told WHMI after the meeting that, in his words, “All three companies were outstanding, but the committee felt the Clark package was the best for Brighton.”

The board also decided to have an “unqualified” election, rather than applying for a “qualified” one, which has to be approved by the state. With its good credit, Brighton doesn’t have to rely on the state to co-sign for the bond. It also provides more flexibility in the use of funds. Lastly, the district isn’t bound to the time it takes to provide the paperwork to the state and can prepare the bond language as late as 3-4 months before the election. The Brighton Area Schools currently holds a bond rating of A+ from S&P Global. That's considered high investment grade, indicating the district's financial strength and stability.

Despite the action to hire Clark, the board has not yet made a decision on the date for the bond issue, the amount to be requested and the items to be included in the bond issue. The election will likely be held on the date of the annual fall election on November 4th. However, there is an outside chance it could be delayed until next year. If it is to be on the fall election ballot, the board must decide by August 11th - the deadline to submit an application to the state to hold the election.

Possible items to be on the issue include nuts-and-bolts components such as fire suppression systems and new doors with greater security features. Other items could include some categories that were in a recent survey of district residents, including AC for the high school and Scranton gyms, additional classroom space at the elementary level, dedicated gyms at Hornung and Spencer, new playground equipment and improvements at the Brighton Performing Arts Center. Board President Roger Myers told WHMI the board will be making decisions on which items to be placed on the ballot, as well setting as the election date, in the coming weeks.

Regardless of whether there is an election or not this fall, the district’s millage rate will drop. Superintendent Outlaw says he expects it to drop to 4 mills or less next year. That would be a decline of 2.19 mills from the current 6.19 mill property tax. The next step will be hiring an architectural firm, which Myers expects the board to do at the June 9th meeting. Outlaw says the board needs help in determining costs associated with each potential item to be part of the bond issue, saying that help can only be provided by a professional architectural firm.

At call-to-the-public, former board member John Conely asked that - with the teachers’ contract up for renewal this year - the issue of a free office for the Brighton Education Association at the high school be part of the negotiations process. Conely has stated many times in the past that as a private organization the teachers’ union should either not have an office in a district building, or, if it does, should pay for it. The board typically does not respond to comments and requests made at the public comments portion of the meeting.