Eau Claire Public Schools is asking voters to approve two ballot proposals this May.
Assistant Superintendent of Operations Phil Brackett tells us the first proposal is a renewal of the district’s operating millage, which comes up for renewal about every six years. It’s critical for day-to-day functions, and Brackett says it only applies to non-homestead properties like businesses and second homes.
The second ballot proposal is a $7.09 million bond, which Brackett says is for basic infrastructure at district buildings.
“We intend to use that money for HVAC repairs in the school district, primarily at our elementary school but also at our middle school-high school building,” Brackett said. “There’s also some roofing repairs that need to be done, the installation of weep holes, things that will help drainage off of the tops of our buildings.”
Brackett says this would be a 20-year, 2.39 mill bond. He notes the district was careful about how it put the proposal together.
“We’ve attempted a number of times over the past few years to pass a millage and have been unsuccessful. And so we’ve really stripped previous proposals down as much as we possibly can. This is really a bare bones kind of a ask.”
Brackett says this would replace HVAC systems that often break down in the winter months. The district estimates the bond would cost the average homeowner about $22 per month.
“At 2.39 mills, if it does pass, that levy rate will still be one of the lowest levy rates in the county, even after the passage of that bond. So we feel like it’s a reasonable ask, and we know that times are tough and everybody’s in difficult positions these days, but this is something that we really need to have in order to be able to make those kinds of repairs. The repairs we’re talking about at our elementary school are repairs to HVAC systems that are 60 years old.”
Anyone with questions about the proposal can learn more at the district’s website or call Eau Claire Public Schools.
