Hillman Community Schools will ask voters in May to approve a $22.1 million bond so the district can raise funds to close its elementary school and build a new wing for elementary students on the existing junior-senior high school.

To pay back the bonds, the district expects to levy 3.3 mills — or about $165 a year for the owner of a $100,000 house — starting this year, if voters approve the bonds.

The district’s current bond debt, for which the district levies 2.9 mills — or about $145 a year for the owner of a $100,000 house — will be paid off this spring, and that tax will expire, meaning the new bonds should cost that owner of a $100,000 house about $20 more in taxes every year than what he or she currently pays.

That may not seem like a lot, but it can mean the difference for some between gas in the car or an empty tank when tax bills come due.

We know no district requests money from taxpayers lightly, and Hillman certainly has good cause to seek this money. The current elementary building is not up to code and needs serious upgrades. The consolidation with the junior-senior high school costs no more money than building an entirely new building and would let the district realize some efficiencies by having everyone in one building.

But we urge every resident of Hillman Community Schools to look closely at the bond measure and decide not just if you can afford it, but whether your neighbors can afford it, too, and whether it’s worth that cost to them.

The answer may be yes, but that answer should only be reached after careful consideration.