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Mineral Point board votes to seek recurring $1.3 million operating referendum
Summary
The Mineral Point Unified School District board approved a recommendation to ask voters to authorize a recurring revenue increase not to exceed $1.3 million to address a projected operating shortfall spread over several years; the board discussed step-in options and estimated tax impacts.
The Mineral Point Unified School District board voted to recommend placing a recurring operating referendum before voters that would authorize the district to exceed its revenue limit by up to $1.3 million in future years.
Board members and finance committee representatives told the board the district faces a current-year shortfall of about $570,000 and a projected cumulative shortfall of approximately $1.3 million over the next four years under present assumptions. The board said it intends to “step in” any levy over time, using only the amount required each year rather than seeking the full authorized total at once.
District financial modeling presented to the board assumed a conservative 2% annual property valuation increase; under that scenario officials estimated the first-year impact would be roughly $60 per $100,000 of assessed value and described a first-year mill-rate increase of about 7.9% for the school district portion. Subsequent years were modeled with smaller annual increases (roughly 3.7% in the model), but the board cautioned those figures are estimates that will vary with actual valuations and other factors.
Board members discussed message clarity and community outreach, agreeing to prepare a frequently asked questions page, an explanatory tax-impact calculator and coordinated stakeholder communication before any ballot question is finalized. The proposed referendum question discussed at the meeting would reference section 121.9 of the Wisconsin statutes and, if approved by voters, would allow the district to exceed its revenue limit for recurring operational purposes beginning in the 2025–26 school year.
The board directed staff to refine ballot language and hold a special meeting in late August to approve final resolution language and timelines required for clerk and municipal notification. No final ballot text was adopted at this meeting; the board’s action was a recommendation to proceed with the referendum process.
