Mick: the Lake Mills football team won and is on their way to beat Lodi! He won the 50/50 raffle.
Raina: Witches Night Out is tomorrow from 4:00pm through 6:00pm downtown Lake Mils.
Birthdays
Beth Naughton Oct 6
Emily Watson Oct 12
BIRTHDAY RAFFLE: Won by Raina Severson and Denny Hawkes.
Committee Reports or Announcements
Club Business
Concession stand - Top Volunteers of the Lake Mills Rotary Concession Stand are Ken (7), Brian (7), Mark (5), Todd (5), and Dan (5)! We took in $6,500 as opposed to $4,700 last year. It is great community outreach and we had 32 members volunteer! What a great turnout.
Volunteer Opportunity with Rotary: Sit on a district panel to interview students that have applied to be outbound exchange students. On Saturday, November 5, Interviews will start at 10 a.m. and end that afternoon (almost certainly before 3 p.m.) They will be held at the Comfort Suites located at 5780 Kinney Road in Portage. John Holevoet Oubound RYE Co-Coordinator.
Upcoming Dates
Sandee’s Rotary Holiday Party - December 14th at 6pm
Program Next Week: Maggie Ginsberg, Author
Today’s Program:
Amy Litscher and Tonya Olson from the Lake Mills Rotary Club.
Overview: Amy and Tonya are discussing the election that is occurring on November 8th 2022 and the referendum that is occurring. They have been sending out information over the last half year, so this is a long time coming.
Hometown Pride: There is a lot going on in the Lake Mills School District right now and a lot to be proud of! Lake Mills Schools we voted one of the best in the state.
Tax Rate: Comparison: The mill rate (tax rate) has dropped by .81 cents. This is the lowest mil rate we have had in 38 years! With that savings, they saved money in interest and they are paying down the current referendum debt. The school district has the lowest mil rate in ALL the county schools. (The mil rate is based on $1,000 of your property value).
Facility Planning History: Our community has been so supportive. Over the years we have been projecting student enrollment, building plans, and making sure we are ready for the next steps.
District Building: They are requesting an intermediate school so that there are 4 schools rather than 3. We are running out of room for programs, so there are kids at other facilities currently (Methodist Church and RLAC which the school district rents).
Preliminary Plan: We need more room for our students. Building on district-owned land is the plan. This will allow for additional space and bring more programming back to the schools.
Proposal Plan: The School District is not currently paying for the plan through a construction company, it is a very rough plan and payment is contingent on the referendum passing. If the referendum passes, we will get a more accurate plan. There have been a lot of concerns about traffic on HWY 89, which has been taken into consideration. They have also been working on the city on a CP extension. They asked for a grant, and it did not get accepted.
Tax Impact: Don’t focus on the 44 million (it was 36 million, but construction costs have gone up and likely won’t be going down). The impact on tax papers is 21cents per $1,000. Looking at $300,000 that’s around $75 a year for the first question. If the second question passes that’s $204 per year. The total combined would be $279 a year. It’s like a home equity loan, if the school district doesn’t need it that year, they WON’T take it.
Question:
What is the additional cost for bussing? The price point hasn’t been looked into fully quite yet, but some of that will be absorbed by the $950,000.
Have you looked into fencing to keep kids in the area and away from the glacial drumlin trail? It will be considered.
When the property was purchased back in the 80s is it true that if something doesn’t happen on that property we may not be able to use it? It is just a parcel owned by the Untz Family who has the first right of refusal if the School District is to sell.
Is the design currently similar to what we did at the Elementary School and Middle School as far as geothermal? Yes, even though the design isn’t complete yet.
What has been the general response in the community? It depends on who you talk to. They have had a lot of outreach. They have tried their hardest to make taxes manageable.
Do you keep construction local? No, they are in charge of all the bids and that is the way that it works.
Are classrooms full at the High School and will we need to make a larger one later? The High School can help absorb some more programming. The capacity at the High School is good to go until 2036.
Does the proximity to St Paul's have challenges? Tonya is in constant communication with the Principal. It is an advantage as far as programming.
Comments:
When you don’t have kids in school anymore, you want nice people around you to take care of you! You want to have good property value and increasing property value, which comes with good schools.
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