2023.09.18 CC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Meeting Minutes for September 18, 2023 Page 2 of 6 Approval of Agenda Weidt made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the agenda as amended by adding recognition of the GFOA Award and the scheduling of a neighborhood meeting for the 2024 street improvement project. All Ayes. Motion carried. Stillwater Superintendent Mike Funk Superintendent Mike Funk attended the meeting to present information on the November 2023 Bond Referendum. Funk provided background on himself saying this was his second year as Superintendent for the Stillwater School District. Prior to that he was a Superintendent in Olivia from 2005-2009 and in Albert Lea from 2009-2022. He said one of his goals in Stillwater was to develop trust within the school district. Funk provided information on the upcoming election on November 7, 2023. He explained that in the past Spring, a community facility task force was established to gather feedback and establish priorities for a 2023 bond referendum. Priorities were to provide the best educational environment, prepare for future growth, and balance student needs with the support of the taxpayers. The district was projected to grow by 1,000 students in the next ten years. The bond would provide more learning spaces, replace old facilities, and improve security and safety in all buildings. Funk talked about inequitable learning experiences between buildings. The bond would allow the replacement of the Lake Elmo Elementary School by building a new larger school in a location in its attendance area and replacing Andersen Elementary School, the smallest school in the district, in an area that would provide for adequate parking and green spaces. The bond would also allow for Oak-Land Middle School to be expanded to handle increased enrollment. The bond would also allow for increased security measures such as emergency strobes and security glazing on windows. Funk explained early voting would begin on Friday, September 22. The total bond was for $175 million. The tax impact on a median priced home of a half million dollars would be $7 per month. Funk said the Stillwater Area Public School residents paid less in school taxes than those in comparable districts. If the bond didn’t pass, it would take longer to increase security, and students would need to be bussed to the northern schools to prevent overcrowding in the southern schools. The Council talked about their belief in education and wished the district luck in their goals. There was a question on what would be done with the old buildings. Funk replied he hoped the district office could go into one of the buildings. GOFA Award to the Hugo Finance Department City Administrator Bryan Bear announced that the Government Finance Officers Association of the United Stated and Canada awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the City of Hugo for fiscal year reporting that ended December 31, 2021. This Certificate was the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represented a significant accomplishment by a government.