MINOCQUA -- Voters in the Lakeland Union High School District will be asked in a few months to approve a $3.45 million school referendum on a recurring basis. For the past several months, the board’s ad hoc referendum committee has been studying the need for additional money for school operations, facility maintenance, improvements in curriculum, instruction and programming.
The full board Oct. 28 agreed to place the referendum question on the ballot at the Feb. 18, 2020 election. Board member Barry Seidel said the $3.45 million request is structured in “rough thirds” – one-third for special education; one-third for facility maintenance; and another third for operations.
Although the measure passed unanimously, Gary Smith said he had reservations about the referendum being recurring and not a one-time request. He predicted, “There are going to be some difficult questions at the public hearing.” “We still need to tighten our belts,” added Barb Peck, even if the referendum passes.
The measure is also seen as helping to rebuild the district’s fund balance, an account that has dropped to $7.3 million. The board wants the fund balance in the neighborhood of $8 million. The money is used to fund school operations until the property tax levy and state and federal aid are received. Keeping a healthy balance avoids the expense of short-term borrowing.
Business Services director Greg Kopp said that unless more revenue comes in, the district might have to cut programs and services in the future because the deficits would not be in the couple hundred thousand dollar range, but upwards of a million or so. A recent survey of Wisconsin school districts indicates about 85 percent of them have turned to operational referendums, Kopp said. Administrator Rob Way agreed Lakeland is on the cusp of doing just that: “It’s not a question of if, but when.” Lakeland’s current tax rate is $1.82 per $1,000 of equalized valuation.
Because the district is a union district, each of the feeder elementary school districts levies its own property tax. There are only a few union school districts in the state. At the current $1.82 tax rate, the high school district tax on a $100,000 property is $182. If the voters approve the $3.45 million referendum, the tax rate would increase to $2.33 for 2021, resulting in a tax bill of $233 on that same property.
The board plans to hold at least four public informational meetings on the referendum proposal, as well as doing mailings and other informational efforts. “There’s a lot of work to be done yet,” said Seidel.
