Revitalization efforts at Southwestern Illinois College through new funding.
Southwestern Illinois, September 11, 2025
The Southwestern Illinois College Board of Trustees has approved the sale of $62 million in general obligation bonds to enhance campus facilities, including a significant upgrade to the police academy, funded through property taxes. The bond structure aims to maintain the current tax rate while funding projects, such as a new multiuse building for the SWIC Police Academy and expansions at the Red Bud campus. Despite the approval, many details concerning project timelines and scopes remain unclear, leading to public inquiries and records requests.
The Southwestern Illinois College Board of Trustees approved the sale of $62 million in general obligation bonds at its August 20 meeting to pay for a package of campus improvements and expansions, including a major upgrade to the college’s police academy. The bonds will be paid from property taxes and officials say the move is structured to result in minimal to no change to the Community College District 522 property tax rate.
The bond proceeds will fund a range of projects systemwide, with a significant share allocated for a new multiuse building for the SWIC Police Academy. The academy currently operates out of space at a former high school campus and a nearby university site. Other plans include construction of a special needs school and a vocational training center at the Red Bud campus, plus renovations to existing buildings and other capital work across SWIC properties.
Among the most detailed parts of the plan is a proposed state-of-the-art indoor shooting range with virtual reality simulators and a tactical village intended to support de-escalation and community-oriented policing training. The shooting range is tied to a site listed as 2590 South Belt West, currently identified as former baseball fields without existing buildings. That has prompted questions about whether SWIC will acquire additional property or build new structures on the site.
At the Red Bud campus, the bond money will support a special needs school and a vocational school that will work with local K–12 districts in Monroe and Randolph counties and area businesses. The exact arrangements for how K–12 students would attend the special needs school have not been clarified. Separately, SWIC is already building a 7,800-square-foot Career Technology Education building at Red Bud, funded by a prior bond of $18.4 million approved in December 2023.
SWIC proceeded with the bond sale without a direct voter referendum under current state rules that allow the district to move forward after a public notice and hearing. A required public hearing was held on July 16. The window for voters to oppose the bond through what has been called a backdoor referendum has passed. The repayment schedule was designed to avoid increasing the current tax levy rate; that choice lengthens the overall repayment period.
College officials say the plan aims to revitalize campuses and strengthen the local workforce, but many practical details remain unclear. Key items not yet released include full project scope, construction timelines, and detailed funding allocations. The college president directed most inquiries to the chief enrollment and planning officer, who asked that questions be submitted in writing; the written response left several questions unresolved. A local news organization has filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking additional project documents.
Future bond issues will depend on the district’s equalized assessed valuation and decisions by local tax assessors. That means future projects and timing could shift if property values change or if assessment practices vary across the district.
Residents should expect the college to begin planning and preliminary work for the projects, but major construction schedules and exact details remain pending. The bond structure is intended to limit immediate tax rate changes, but the longer repayment term could affect future fiscal flexibility.
The college board approved issuing $62 million in general obligation bonds to pay for campus improvements, including a new police academy facility, systemwide renovations, and new programs at the Red Bud campus.
The bonds will be repaid with property tax revenue. Officials structured the repayment to avoid raising the current tax levy rate, which extends the repayment period.
The college says the plan will result in minimal to no change in the property tax rate. Because of the repayment timeline chosen, the district expects to keep the tax levy rate roughly the same while spreading payments over a longer period.
Plans identify a site at 2590 South Belt West — now former baseball fields without buildings — for some training elements, including the proposed indoor shooting range. Exact site acquisition or building plans have not been detailed.
The college has asked for written questions to be submitted to its planning office. A local news organization has also filed a public records request to obtain more information. Additional documents may be released through public records or future board materials.
A public hearing was held on July 16. The period for a voter-led challenge under state notification rules has passed, so the district moved forward without a direct vote.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Bond amount | $62,000,000 |
| Board approval date | August 20 |
| Primary funding source | Property taxes; structured to aim for minimal to no tax rate change |
| Main projects | New multiuse SWIC Police Academy building, indoor shooting range with VR, tactical village, Red Bud special needs and vocational schools, systemwide renovations |
| Known site for shooting range | 2590 South Belt West (former baseball fields; no existing building) |
| Previous bond | $18.4 million approved Dec 2023 for Red Bud Career Technology building (7,800 sq ft) |
| Public review | Public hearing on July 16; window to force a referendum has closed |
| Open questions | Exact scopes, timelines, site acquisition, and funding splits not yet released; public records request pending |
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