On November 8th, North Crawford School District voters will go to the polls on the general election. On the ballot will be two referendum questions from the school district. The first question will ask voters to authorize the school district to exceed the revenue cap by $900,000 on a recurring basis to meet operational expenses. The $900,000 will be phased in over a four year period. The second question will ask voters to authorize the district to sell bonds in the amount of $4,500,000 to complete capital improvement projects in the district.

Below is the specific ballot language that will be used for both referendum questions.

Question Number I: Shall the North Crawford School District, Crawford, Richland, and Vernon Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $300,000 for the 2022-23 school year; by an additional $250,000 (for a total of $550,000) for the 2023-24 school year; by an additional $200,000 (for a total of $750,000) for the 2024-25 school year; and by an additional $150,000 (for a total of $900,000) for the 2025-26 school year and therafter, for recurring purposes consisting of operational expenses?

Question Number II: Shall the North Crawford School District, Crawford, Richland, and Vernon Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to issue, pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $4,500,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school facility improvement project at the school building and site consisting of: capital maintenance, building infrastructure and site improvements, including roof and window replacement; renovations and facility updates, including Americans with Disabilities Act improvements and upgrades to instructional space; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures, and equipment?

On average, the recurring operational referendum will result in a $.31 increase in the mill rate, with the debt service referendum resulting in a $.55 increase in the mill rate. In total, both referendums together will result in an $.86 mill rate increase. This means a tax increase of $86 per $100,000 of assessed value.

With the passage of both referendums, the new district mill rate will be $8.63, an increase of $.86 over last year. Listed below is the 10-year mill rate history of the school district. As you can see in the data, this year's projected mill rate is actually lower than 5 of the past 10 years in the district, and still remains very close to the state average.

2013-14 $9.68

2014-15 $9.80

2015-16 $9.35

2016-17 $9.13

2017-18 $9.31

2018-19 $8.28

2019-20 $7.91

2020-21 $7.61

2021-22 $7.77

2022-23 $8.63

For the average taxpayer, for less than $.50 a day, you will be making a $5.4 million investment in the current and future students, staff, and faciliites of the North Crawford School District. That's less than a candy bar, a can of soda, or the amount of gas you use to get to work each day.

Email: bmunson@ncrawford.k12.wi.us
Website: www.northcrawford.com
Location: 47050 County Road X, Soldiers Grove, WI, USA
Phone: (608) 735-4318
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057263208876
Twitter: @northcrawford