With just under four weeks left until election day, the Northfield School District has ramped up its 
Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann said that educating the community about the referendum is important because it “doesn’t have the energy of a bonding proposal or an operating levy.” It is, he said, however, every bit as important.
“As a school district,” he said, “our finances are highly regulated. The money in our budget is either voter approved, or state driven. We do not have much discretion in how our funds are allocated.”
The Capital Improvement Levy is the fund that pays for the general maintenance of the school district’s grounds and buildings, the remodeling of classrooms, the purchase of educational materials, including books, software and technology, and the maintenance and upkeep of that technology. These are things, Hillmann said, that might not be very exciting to a lot of people, but they are necessary, and they need to be funded.
“I think everyone listening knows that we are good stewards, not only of our dollars but of our facilities. We have taken care of our facilities. We have invested in them – in the things that are really important. [We have] to make sure that the building envelope is secure so that we don’t get water into the buildings. We try to take care of things that aren’t maybe exciting to people, like tuck pointing and parking lots, but they are nevertheless.”
The levy, which was originally passed in 2011 currently generates $750,000 each year. The referendum would renew the levy and expand it to generate about $1.65 million next year.
Hillmann said the informational campaign has included two mailings to every voter in the district, two public informational meetings, and a series of appearances that Hillmann is making before various groups and organizations around the area.
He said running a campaign like this is vital, because the most common comment he is receiving is about the language of the referendum itself.
“It was written by lawyers,’ he said. “We’re not allowed to write it on our own. We actually contracted with a lawyer to make sure it aligns with state statute.”
Helping the community understand what it is the district is asking for, he said is the top priority. The language is not only tough to decipher, but it can also get bogged down in percentages, which Hillmann said can be confusing as well.
The referendum, as it will appear on the ballot, can be found on the KYMN Election Guide. For more information on the levy and what it means to the school district, visit the Northfield Public Schools website.
Martig discusses new city tool for long-term planning
During the City Council work session on Tuesday night, City Administrator Ben Martig unveiled the new 
The software offers a widespread number of integrated features, that will collect, store, manage and interpret data from all the various areas where the city does business. Martig said the current system the city uses is so antiquated that the manufacturer is no longer updating the program, making the upgrade necessary.
Beyond the features that will help to automate many tasks, and improve both efficiency and transparency in all departments, he said there are other benefits as well. By integrating both historical and current budget information, the program will help city staff and the council see a clearer picture of the city’s finances. Martig said it will help to visualize the implications of external changes, and then offer data on policies that may be formed to address those changes.
“We can use this to see ‘What-if’ scenarios,” he said. “What happens if the tax base changes? What if we delay a project for a year? How does that change things? And the results are almost instantaneous.”
In terms of long-range planning, the city will now have a better idea of how to project a five-year plan. The program will integrate the budget information with the capital improvement and equipment plans, city debt, labor costs, general fund balances and other factors. The data culled from that will help to evaluate the tax levy into future years. From there they will be able to better see the implications of capital projects, and if the city has room for more in a given year or if the tax impact from a project is too high to be affordable. It can even help to evaluate alternative funding strategies.
Overall, Martig said, the new software is going to be of great benefit to both city staff and the policy makers.
“To me, somebody who realizes that money is just so important to how things work and to do good planning, [I’m] pretty excited about this tool that we’ve got. This is really going to be so important to the policy makers [and will help them with] good management.”
The new programs should be up and running, he said, in 6-9 months.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
Leadership Northfield begins October 27
And enrollment is now open for the 2022-’23 edition of Leadership Northfield, a program developed by the Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce for “people wanting to grow and take an active role in helping to shape the future of the Northfield Area.”
Participants will take an in depth look at Northfield’s economic outlook, learn more about community partners, and participate in a service opportunity with other area professionals.
The program will begin on Thursday, October 27 and will meet one Thursday morning each month from 8:30am until Noon through June. The qualifying participants will be chosen by a panel of business leaders from the Chamber Board of Directors. The cost is $700 for Chamber Members and $1000 for Non-Members, which includes all classes, class materials, lunches, and a graduation ceremony.
For full course details and to apply online, please visit the Chamber website and complete the questionnaire. The application process will close on October 26th.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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