Clarification: A story that appeared in print on Aug. 13 gave the impression that the new annual tax impact of a proposed Milton School District operational referendum might be $1,200 or more for the owner of a $200,000 home. In fact, that is total estimated annual school portion of the property tax bill, with the referendum impact included, for the owner of a $200,000 home. The new tax impact is estimated to be just $42 per year for every $100,000 of property value. The information is clarified in the online version of the article below. The Gazette regrets any resulting confusion.
JANESVILLE — Voters in the Milton School District will see a recurring referendum question on their ballots in November.
If the referendum is approved in November, it will raise $5 million annually, in perpetuity, for the school district.
The school board had two options on the table. One was a three-year referendum in which the revenue cap would be exceeded by $5 million annually.
Board members who supported the recurring referendum question were concerned about a looming fiscal cliff.
A memo from Superintendent Rich Dahman and Business Services Director Ross MacPherson to the board stated that without a referendum and due to the district’s “cost structure,” there would be a 3-4% growth in expenses and a 1% growth in revenue.
“This creates a 2-3% deficit of ongoing expenses in a budget that is 70-75% staff compensation,” the memo stated. “With the intent of maintaining and sustaining existing programming, the board will consider a resolution to go to referendum this fall for $5,000,000 on a non-recurring or recurring basis.”
The referendum that expires after the 2025-26 school year raises $2.5 million annually. In public comment, it was suggested to use that figure in a referendum for three years. MacPherson said that it would still leave the district in a deficit in the 2026-27 school year, and the $2.5 million would just offset it. It would be $1.3 million.
Even so, 2027-28 and 2028-29 are expected to be deficit years for the district even if a referendum passes. If a referendum passes, there is an anticipated surplus of about $1.2 million in 2026-27. However, in 2027-28 there is an anticipated deficit of $1,828 and $1.4 million in 2028-29 even with a referendum, so board members still say cuts are on the horizon.
“We are not asking for our district to grow or enhance our programming. We will still presumably have a deficit to deal with, but it will be much more manageable,” Board President Joe Martin said.
“I am a firm believer in finding balance. This group in this room spent a lot of time discussing this,” board member Jennifer Johns said. “I want everybody in this room to know that the district will still have to cut. The district will still have to tighten its purse strings. What I like about this is it allows the district to plan. I take a hard stance in everything in moderation. This is not a big ask.”
The vote went 5-2 in favor of the recurring referendum question. The board members who voted against it were Tracy Hannah and John Dummer. Both Hannah and Dummer voiced their support for a referendum, but were concerned of a referendum question being approved by the board and not being passed by the voters at the ballot box.
“In our current world, a referendum is only good if it passes,” Hannah said.
Dummer said he received positive feedback overall about a referendum, but that a recurring referendum “wouldn’t resonate as much as a non-recurring referendum.”
“Although I will be voting no, I will be supporting the board in whatever it does,” Dummer said prior to the vote.
After the vote was taken, Hannah called a point of order, stating that she wanted to call for a vote for the non-recurring referendum option.
Hannah’s motion died for a lack of a second and no vote was taken.
If approved, Milton school district property owners would see the school portion of their property taxes increase by $42 a year for every $100,000 in property value.
If the referendum passes, the school portion of the total tax bill for the owner of a $200,000 home is projected to be $1,370 in in 2024-25, $1,286 in 2025-26, $1,370 in 2026-27, $1,318 in 2027-28 and $1,268 in 2028-29.
MacPherson and Dahman have cautioned the board that if there is no successful referendum, budget reductions could include wage freezes, reductions in the workforce, redesigns in the benefits plan, reduction or elimination in programs, delaying or ignoring preventative maintenance, collapsing of roles or responsibilities, closure of buildings and limiting of curricular or extracurricular activities.
Most Popular
Comments / 0