The bond issue authority had to be approved by a 60 percent majority of those voting.

When all the ballots were finally tallied early Wednesday morning, the measure had been approved by a 61.55 percent majority.

“We’re just honored and we’re just humbled that the voters in the nine counties entrusted us with this money to create more plumbers, more HVAC workers, more dental hygienists and more nurses,” college President Dr. Jesse Ulrich said Wednesday afternoon.

“We’re grateful,” he said.

Ulrich said that because of concerns about the farm economy in rural areas, he was not surprised by the narrow margin by which the measure was approved.

The extension of the borrowing authority will not cause a property tax increase, college leaders have said.

Property taxpayers will continue to pay a levy of 33 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, a levy which has been in place since 2008.

The levy costs the owner of a typical Fort Dodge home about $2 a month or about $25 a year, according to the college.

The $35 million will be invested in buildings and equipment needed to train more people for high demand jobs in the area. Ulrich has said the college currently doesn’t have the physical capacity to train more people. The investments that are planned will alleviate that problem, he said.

A significant part of the money, about $18 million, will be spent to build a new Center for Ag Science on the Fort Dodge campus.

The center will house the agribusiness, ag science, animal science, precision agriculture and veterinary technician programs.

It will be located on the northeast side of the intersection of U.S. Highway 169 and Kenyon Road.

The Applied Science and Technology Building, one of the oldest buildings on the Fort Dodge campus, will be renovated to create more space for the dental hygiene, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning programs.

The college’s Webster City Center will get an updated heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. New windows and insulation will also be installed.

Bond issue money will also be spent to purchase new equipment for programs at all of the college’s centers and career academies at area high schools.

The bond issue was approved by more than 60 percent of the voters in Hamilton, Pocahontas, Webster and Wright counties.

The measure did not win the 60 percent supermajority in Buena Vista, Calhoun, Greene, Humboldt and Sac counties, but there were enough yes votes in all of those counties to propel the measure to final passage with the 61.55 percent majority.

Here are the referendum results from the nine county area served by Iowa Central Community College.

Buena Vista: Yes — 58.9 percent; No — 41.10 percent

Calhoun: Yes — 53.59 percent; No — 46.41 percent

Greene: Yes — 59.55 percent; No – 40.41 percent

Hamilton: Yes — 66.76 percent; No — 33.24 percent

Humboldt: Yes — 58.33 percent; No — 41.67 percent

Pocahontas: Yes — 65.39 percent; No — 34.61 percent

Sac: Yes — 45.51 percent; No – 54.49 percent

Webster: Yes — 69.28 percent; No — 30.72 percent

Wright: Yes — 74.35 percent; No – 25.65 percent