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River Falls board approves petition to move Enersen parcel into Hudson district
Summary
The River Falls Board of Education approved a petition to detach a combined parcel owned by Lowell and Catherine Enersen from the River Falls School District and attach it to the Hudson School District after public comment and discussion about geography and tax statements.
The River Falls Board of Education voted on Feb. 17 to approve a petition to detach a portion of land owned by Lowell and Catherine Enersen from the River Falls School District and attach it to the Hudson School District.
The petition, filed under Wisconsin Statute 117.12, concerns two former St. Croix County tax parcels that were combined on a certified survey map. At the meeting, Lowell Enersen described a decade-long effort to clarify why he had been receiving multiple tax statements for a single property and asked the board to approve the transfer so the property would be taxed and administered as a single parcel.
“We would like to have one tax statement because it’s one piece of property,” said Lowell Enersen, the parcel owner, explaining that three tax statements had originated from how district lines intersected his land. Board members and staff said county maps and prior boundary-drawing decisions left the parcel split between districts.
Finance and facilities committee chair Mike (last name not specified in the transcript) presented the board with the petition and recommended approval, explaining that the property contains the house and driveway such that most of the taxable value sits in the Hudson district and the parcel is not likely to be developed. The motion described the property by parcel numbers and listed the most recent assessed value at $77,300 and the number of resident pupils at zero.
Board member Beau seconded the motion. After discussion about potential future children on the property and whether the change would create an enclave, the board agreed the transfer would make the parcel’s district affiliation clearer and simplify bus and administrative arrangements. The board approved the petition; the motion was carried.
The board asked staff to record that the action was not intended to set precedent for other detachment petitions, and that this decision was made because the combination of local geography and parcel configuration made this a uniquely practical solution.
The resolution directs staff to file the order under the statutory process and to notify St. Croix County and the Hudson School District of the board’s approval.
