Eau Claire (WQOW) - The Eau Claire Area
School District is
another step closer to solving its space crunch. The board approved a resolution authorizing
the district to borrow money to purchase Epiphany Lutheran
Church. The price tag is $2.85 million. The building would
be used to house the 4K program, along with Head Start and early childhood
special education.
This has been a long process and
there are still some things that need to happen before the district can call Epiphany
their own.
Before they can borrow the money, the
district is required to give the public notice. After
that, voters have thirty days to petition for a referendum.
If members
of the public decided to do that, they need at least 7,500 signatures and then,
if the board still wanted to move ahead, a referendum would be required. If
that does not happen, the board will likely continue with the borrowing
process.
Last year, voters rejected a referendum to buy the building. WQOW News
18 asked a school board member if she thought voters would feel they are being
left out of the decision this time around.
"What I don't think
people understand is that, if we choose the referendum option, that would
actually raise their taxes. Whereas, the resolution we're discussing tonight is
under the revenue limits so we would be making those payments without raising
those taxes," says school board member, Wendy Sue Johnson.
If the district ends up borrowing
the money, one disadvantage is the interest. That could cost about $650,000
over the next 11 years. But, the district would also be
saving about $150,000 each year in busing costs.
One other
thing to mention, the district already partners with 19 early learning programs
around the city. Those locations will continue operating as is. Students who
are currently at Locust Lane,
Longfellow, North
High School and Chippewa
Valley Montessori, would move to the Epiphany site.
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Eau Claire (ECASD) - NOTICE TO THE ELECTORS OF THE EAU CLAIRE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT CHIPPEWA, DUNN AND EAU CLAIRE COUNTIES, WISCONSIN
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the School Board of the above-named School District, at a meeting duly called, noticed, held and conducted on December 17,2012, adopted a resolution entitled:
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE BORROWING OF NOT TO EXCEED $2,850,000; AND PROVIDING FOR THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION PROMISSORY NOTES THEREFOR
Said Resolution was adopted pursuant to the provisions of Section 67.12(12), Wisconsin
Statutes to authorize a borrowing for the public purpose of paying the cost of the acquisition of a building and land consisting of a parcel of approximately 16.895 acres located at 3031 Epiphany Lane, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Copies of said Resolution are on file in the District office, located at 500 Main Street Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 and may be inspected weekdays, except holidays, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Section 67. 12(12)(e)2, Wisconsin Statutes provides in part that a referendum is required
on the question of this borrowing only if a petition is filed within 30 days after this publication
signed by at least 7,500 District electors or 20% of the District electors voting for Governor at
the last general election, whichever is the lesser. If no such petition is filed, then the Resolution shall be effective without a referendum.
Dated this 17th day of December, 2012.
