New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is in talks with lawmakers on a plan to seek voter approval to sell as much as $3.5 billion of bonds for college improvements, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.

The referendum would be put on the ballot as soon as this November and would fund work on dormitories, research labs and classrooms, said the people, who declined to be identified because they aren’t authorized to speak publicly about the talks. Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for Christie, declined to comment on the bond proposal in an e-mail.

Christie, a first-term Republican, said in February he was working on plans for a “major” capital investment in the university system. He declined to elaborate at the time. Senate President Stephen Sweeney, New Jersey’s highest-ranking Democratic lawmaker, said today that he has held preliminary talks with Christie about the issue and is drafting a measure. The size of the proposal hasn’t been determined, Sweeney said.

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