Board hears finance briefing as food service loss and utility rate rise squeeze district budget

During its regular meeting the Brandon Valley School District 49-2 board received a finance report that outlined cash balances, investments, payroll and rising costs.

A finance presenter reported the district began the month with about $28,478,000 in cash, had receipts of roughly $4,021,000 and disbursements of about $6.8 million, leaving approximately $25,662,000 at month end. Investment holdings were listed at $21,841,418 and payroll for October was about $3,010,000.

The Food Service Department showed a fully accrued loss of $96,000 at the end of October, compared with a $63,000 loss at the same point last year. "Food is great, but they can buy three times as much for every dollar you give," resident Lisa Marceau said during public comment urging support for the Brandon Food Pantry.

A board member flagged a utility rate change: "You've probably seen in the news that they were having a substantial increase in their rates for next year at Sioux Valley Energy," the member said, adding that the district’s $1.2 million annual electrical budget could see roughly a $100,000 increase next year. The transcript does not include a staff estimate or an adopted budget action to offset that cost during the meeting.

Board members also noted recent construction payments to contractors and paid-to-date totals for ongoing capital projects; those financial details were reviewed as part of the bills-and-claims discussion.

The board approved the bills, claims and financial report as presented by staff and did not request further analysis during this meeting. Recorded figures were presented by district finance staff during the meeting (see SEG 160–226).