New Richland City Council
By JESSICA LUTGENS
Staff Writer
With three council members in attendance following the massive blizzard in the area last weekend, the New Richland City Council held its second meeting of the month on Monday, Feb. 25. A motion was made to form a committee for providing assistance for trash bills to qualified households in the city, which passed.
The committee will consist of five individuals, including councilpersons Jessie Shaffer and Jason Casey and town resident Connie Johnson. The remaining two slots on the committee are open and will be advertised in the Star Eagle, city newsletter, and by reaching out to the public.
Present for the meeting were NRHEG Superintendent Dale Carlson and School Board member Rick Schultz, who outlined details of the upcoming referendum vote for NRHEG public schools. The vote, which will give residents in the district the opportunity to decide whether or not to adopt the $9.1 million referendum for improvements to the two school facilities, will be held on April 9.
The referendum comes after the last one in 2015 failed to pass. After the first referendum failed, a community task force was formed, and multiple surveys done in order to determine the top priorities for the school district and how the money would be spent. Improvements to be made with the $9.1 million, if passed, include infrastructure, mechanical safety and security, curriculum—with a focus on career technology areas such as welding, woodworking, and Family and Consumer Sciences—and preparation for work and a career after high school.
According to Schultz, the district’s goal with this referendum is transparency.
“Our objective is to provide accurate information to allow voters to make an educated decision,” Schultz said. “We don’t want, after the vote, people to feel like they didn’t know what they were voting for.”
There are some differences between this vote and the 2015 referendum. First, new state legislation provides an Ag2School tax credit, which reduces the financial burden on farmers in the area by offsetting 40% of bond debt levied on agricultural taxpayers. That means that about $2.5 million of the total $9.1 million will be covered by the state.
The question on the minds of most taxpayers is, “What will this cost me?” On the school website, www.nrheg.k12.mn.us, a tax impact calculator is available to determine the exact dollar amount based on property acreage taxpayers will be responsible for if the referendum is passed.
Connie Johnson asked if the cost to taxpayers is fixed, as the referendum is a 20-year agreement. Schultz said because the cost is based on the tax base throughout the district, if property values change, the rate could also change, with a best-case scenario of an increased tax base resulting in lower rates.
Additional information about the referendum, community tax impact, and voting can be found at the website by going to the “Facility Planning” menu under “Our District” in the menu on the left side of the page.
Overall, the referendum is intended to keep NRHEG School Districts competitive with area schools and provide its students with the resources they need to become successful adults.
“Our decisions were made based on what we’re getting versus what we’re investing,” Schultz said. “And we’ll live with the results that the people of the district decide.
“The school district is critical to all four communities,” said Carlson. “We’re truly all in this together.”
Schultz and Carlson thanked the council for their time, and said if any voters have further questions regarding the referendum to contact school administration, board members, or another trusted official.
Brad Field presented the PeopleService report, which stated that the wastewater treatment facility and lift stations made it through the severe weather of the last month with no issues. The report was approved.
The maintenace report stated that 24 delinquent bills/disconnect notices were delivered last month, resulting in zero shut off. The report was approved.
No care center report was presented, and the council approved the appointment of Sherri Donovan and Gene Waldhauser to the two open Care Center Board seats.
The council also agreed to switch the city’s e-mail host from Network Solutions to Microsoft Exchange. Microsoft Exchange will also allow the council to create official e-mail addresses at a cost of $300/year. The decision was approved with a motion, which passed.
A Citywide Spring Cleanup date of May 18 was set, and the meeting adjourned at 7:17 p.m.