Shepherd of the Hills church seeks parcel detachment; Holmen board to act Feb. 10

District staff presented a petition from Shepherd of the Hills church to detach a small triangular parcel currently in Holmen School District and attach it to the Onalaska School District so the church can combine two adjacent parcels for signage and potential future expansion.

Julie Homan, executive director of finance and operations, said the property sits at the intersection of Highway 53 and Sand Lake Road in the city of Onalaska. The church owns two parcels: one already in Onalaska School District and the other in Holmen School District. The smaller triangular parcel was created through a land exchange around 2005, Homan said.

The church has sought the change to combine both parcels into a single tax-exempt church property to allow County survey approvals for an electronic sign and to simplify potential expansion. Homan said because the parcel is church-owned and tax-exempt, detaching it would not reduce Holmen’s property tax revenue, and there is no house or students on the parcel. If both school boards approve, the change must be filed with the Department of Public Instruction and possibly the county; staff said the church requested both districts approve by March 1 so the detachment could be effective by July 1.

The item was informational tonight and will appear on Holmen’s Feb. 10 consent agenda for final action. Board members asked clarifying questions during the presentation about the mechanics of detachment and attachment; staff confirmed detachment changes school-district assignment for the parcel, not a physical relocation of land.