Hortonville Area School District approve April 6 referendum

HORTONVILLE, Wis. (WFRV) – At the Hortonville Area School District Board of Education Meeting,
the Board unanimously voted to place two referendum questions on the April 6, 2021 ballot.

According to district officials, residents of the Hortonville Area School District will have the opportunity to vote on two questions designed to address current building capacity, growing enrollment, and outdated educational spaces.

Question one will ask voters for approval to borrow $41,800,000 to pay for additions and renovations at Greenville Middle School and Hortonville High School.

Question two will ask voters for approval to borrow $12,200,000 to construct a multi-purpose center at the High School. Due to careful financial planning, the District has paid off a loan that funded past building projects, creating a window of opportunity to invest in District facilities with minimal tax impact.

Officials say that if question one is successful it will not increase the debt portion of school taxes over current levels.

If both questions pass, officials estimate the mill rate will increase $0.22 (22 cents) per $1,000 of equalized property value, translating to an annual $22 increase per $100,000 of property value, over current levels.

“As our enrollment continues to increase, addressing our facility needs must be a priority,” said Todd Timm, District Administrator. “We have a special window of opportunity to re-invest in our school buildings with minimal cost to our taxpayers. The referendum plan addresses our most immediate needs and presents an opportunity to build a multi-purpose space to serve our students and communities.”

The District reported that two referendum-specific mailings outlining the details of the proposed solution will be mailed to all district residents in February and March.