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Ashwaubenon board approves 10-year facilities plan after debate over using TIF funds and fund balance risks
Summary
The Ashwaubenon School District Board approved a 10-year Facilities Improvement Plan (2026–36) after hearing staff caution that using recent TIF money aggressively could erode fund balances and raise borrowing costs; the plan outlines priority and nonpriority projects and funding sources.
Tom Schmitt, a district presenter, laid out the Ashwaubenon School District’s 10-year Facilities Improvement Plan covering 2026–36 and an inventory of projects completed over the past decade. Schmitt said the plan is forward-looking and does not commit funds, describing it as “strictly a plan about what is coming in the future.”
Keith Lucius, a staff member who addressed funding mechanics, cautioned against spending all recently received TIF money immediately. Lucius said drawing down the district’s fund balance could hurt state aid calculations and increase borrowing costs, and noted uncertainty about future special-education funding. “What we plan for as far as funding and what we get is always uncertain,” he said.
Board members pressed on timing and feasibility for specific projects, including boiler replacements, which several participants said must be bid and scheduled in off-season windows. Schmitt and Lucius explained that the district had delayed some projects across budget years and that deferred maintenance tends to increase costs over time.
The presentation summarized which past projects were paid from Fund 46 versus Fund 10 and emphasized Fund 46’s role in enabling facilities work. Schmitt reviewed priority and nonpriority projects for the next three years and said the district remains “physically in good shape” but warned that continued deficits would lead to decline.
After the discussion the board approved the 10-year Facilities Improvement Plan (motion moved by VanDeKreeke; seconded by VandeWalle). The motion carried, Aye 4, Nay 0.
The plan now serves as the district’s prioritized roadmap for capital work; the board emphasized that individual projects will require separate funding decisions, competitive bidding where applicable, and that timing may depend on external factors such as seasonal constraints and grant availability.
