Wausau School District. MWC file photo.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — There was no action by the Wausau School Board on a proposed $181.9 million referendum package, other than to trim it down.
Board members discussed the proposal for nearly an hour on Monday, only to table the matter and send it back to Finance Officer Bob Tess to be reworked by the bond counsel and consultants for the district.
The initial plan, which included a laundry list of deferred maintenance projects, facilities upgrades, school security issues, and added or remodeled classroom space in some buildings would have cost taxpayers about $12 per $100,000 of property tax value annually. But many on the board questioned whether it would pass the voters, who have already shot down two other building questions in the last two elections.
“[We are a board] that’s trying to reach a compromise that we all are comfortable with,” said Board Member Lance Trollop. “It may not be the exact plan to the minutia that I think is best. But, if it gets some broad Board support I would prefer that [instead of] a 5-4 vote that I try to talk into happening.”
Tess added that time is of the essence with the proposal to get the question ready for the April ballot. The $181.9 million question had already been drafted for approval and was included in Monday’s agenda packet.
Instead, Tess and the rest of the team will gather again as soon as Tuesday morning to strip out several big-ticket projects. While no specific target number was established by the board they did prioritize the inclusion of proposed school safety measures, elimination of all cafeteria or gym projects where one of those two spaces is lacking, and the elimination of classroom expansions except for those in areas with a growing population such as Stettin Elementary, Riverview Elementary, and South Mountain Elementary.
Tess noted that if the number gets down to the neighborhood of $130 million the package could have a negative short-term impact on taxes since schools have flexibility in how they structure their debt. Meaning in the long run that could allow the district to bring back some of the other projects if the community will support additional borrowing years down the road.
The board will hold a special meeting Monday, January 17th to go over the refined product. The time and venue for that meeting will be announced later this week.
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