Colfax working to schedule informational meeting on $48.8 million CVTC referendum
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — The Colfax Village Board has given Lynn Niggemann, administrator-clerk-treasurer, the go-ahead to work on scheduling an informational meeting about the $48.8 million Chippewa Valley Technical College referendum.
The idea is to have a public informational meeting to talk about the impacts of the CVTC referendum on the tax base, said Scott Gunnufson, village president, at the Colfax Village Board’s January 27 meeting.
The meeting would be intended for village residents, residents living in the surrounding municipalities and residents in the Colfax school district, Niggemann said.
The best location for the meeting would probably be at the school district, she noted.
Bruce Barker, president of CVTC, had sent a letter to Niggemann stating that representatives of CVTC would like to present information about the referendum to the village board.
Niggemann said she believed it was more important for CVTC’s presentation be made to area residents instead of only to village board members.
Mark Halpin, village trustee, asked if Niggemann had heard anything back about the idea for a public informational meeting from William C. Yingst Jr., Colfax school district administrator.
Finding a time when there is not something else scheduled at the school will be the most difficult part of the process, Niggemann said.
Colfax Village Board members agreed that it would be a good idea to have a public informational meeting.
Niggemann said she would continue working on the planning and to find a good date that works with the school district’s schedule.
The public informational meeting will most likely be in March, she said, adding that she hoped the meeting would be set by the time of the next village board meeting on February 10.
It will be important to “have a good conversation” and get all of the information “out on the table for discussion,” Gunnufson said.
The $48.8 million CVTC referendum question will appear on the April 7 ballot for the spring election.
According to the letter Niggemann received from Barker, the funding would provide a new transportation center to replace outdated auto and truck learning labs with larger, modern labs equipped for larger enrollments and training on gasoline, hybrid and electric vehicles as well as “smart car” technology.
The money also would be used to expand training facilities for police, fire and paramedics to improve safety and protection for the CVTC campuses and the communities where they are located.
In addition, the referendum funding would purchase land in River Falls for future expansion; install a new automated fabrication manufacturing lab; and provide updates in Chippewa Falls and Menomonie to improve safety and to provide more programming.
If the referendum were to be approved by voters, the tax impact over the 11-county technical college district would be expected to increase property taxes by $13 per year per $100,000 of equalized property value, according to the letter from Barker.
The CVTC District Board approved a resolution on January 16 calling for an April 7 referendum to borrow $48.8 million to fund projects identified in the facilities plans.
The CVTC board authorized a survey of residents in the technical college district in September to find out what their “tax tolerance” would be for construction projects.
The survey determined residents would be likely to fund up to $55 million in construction projects.