Ballots for Salina’s first ever mail-in election will arrive in mailboxes this week. Registered voters who live in USD 305 will decide whether or not to green light a $110.7 million upgrade to district facilities.

Saline County Clerk and Election Officer Don Merriman is hoping for a 50-percent participation rate when all is said and done in the stand alone bond issue this April.

About 28,000 ballots were scheduled to be delivered to the Salina Post Office on Friday. They will be sent to households throughout USD 305.

Back in December the USD 305 Board of Education approved a resolution to place a $110.7 million bond issue on the April 8, 2014 mail-in ballot.

The vote will address district needs including safety and security, all-day kindergarten, career and technical education and improvements at both high schools, plus storm shelters at all the schools.

A group of citizens in support of the issue have been busy distributing signs. Organizers say that the goal of the “Now is the Time” group is to help Salina citizens better understand the need for school improvements, and to understand the April 8, 2014, mail-in bond election.