Overnight weather conditions are causing late starts and school closings across the area. 
Cannon Falls Schools, Randolph, and Kenyon Wanamingo schools are all closed today.
The Northfield Public Schools opened two hours late. Northfield morning Kid Ventures and morning-only Hand in Hand Preschool sections were also canceled. Specific building start times and other important details about schedules at northfieldpublicschools.org .
Faribault Public Schools, and the Tri-City United District also started two hours late this morning.
Reasons for no referendum are widespread on school board
On Monday night, the Northfield School Board once again discussed the options for what to do about the Northfield High School Building. As 
this was intended to be the final meeting of the year, the board voted on the recommendation Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann had made to put a referendum to the voters asking for about $80 million to renovate the high school and address the major problems in the building. The vote was 3-3, and without a majority, the motion did not pass.
There are several issues with the building, from its antiquated design to misfunctioning heating and cooling system to space concerns and more. The district has looked at several different options. They could build a brand-new high school or demolish parts of the facility and rebuild around what would remain or make the renovations Hillmann has recommended. Last spring the school district formed a task force to examine the building and make recommendations on what needed to be done. Over the summer, the district took a survey to determine how much the district voters would be willing to pay for.
Still, the school board could not come to a consensus on what to do, so for now there will be no referendum, and the building will remain as it is.
Board members Jeff Quinnell, Tom Baraniak and Amy Goerwitz voted against the recommendation. Baraniak and Goerwitz both feel that the district should be looking at building a new school, while Quinnell was skeptical imminent renovation was needed, nor did he think a special election should be held for the referendum.
“I’m not drinking the Kool Aid on urgent, urgent repairs. And with a special election, there are only four polling places. I think 84% of the voters should have the opportunity to vote at their normal polling place on a normal election year for what promises to be the largest building bond in the history of the school district.”
Board member Corey Butler was one of the three votes in favor of the referendum, along with Julie Pritchard and Board Chair Claudia Gonzalez-George, and he said he was voting because time is of the essence.
“It’s imperative for us to move forward tonight. It is the board’s responsibility to put a plan forward. It is the community’s responsibility to tell us if they support it. That’s democracy. Government is a participation sport. This came to the board on February 28th. We’ve talked about it for nearly ten months. We’ve spent hours and hours and hours and meeting after meeting after meeting discussing this. Kicking the can down the road is not going to make it cheaper.”
For his part Hillmann said the school can maintain its function as-is for another year, but not much longer.
“We joke that our buildings and grounds director Cole Nelson isn’t losing sleep at night right now about some of the original systems at Northfield High School, but in about a year he probably will start losing some sleep. You know, as a building gets older and as those internal systems, the things that are behind the walls, as those age sourcing those parts becomes much more difficult.”
The board will have one final meeting in 2022 on December 22nd.
Rice County taxes are up, too
The Rice County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a $33.8 million property tax levy for 2023, an amount 8.89% higher than in 2022.
Most of the increase will go to repay bonds used to finance construction of a new Public Safety Center and to cover higher personnel costs, which commissioners agree is necessary to recruit, train and retain talented employees.
The board hoped to avoid repaying the bonds with a property tax increase, but when the Minnesota Legislature adjourned in May without passing a bill allowing the county to offer voters an alternative, commissioners were left with no other option.
Despite the levy increase, Rice County’s tax rate dropped for the third straight year. And property taxes remain among the lowest in the state.
Also included in the $90.27 million 2023 budget also approved Tuesday is more than $810,000 in funding for local nonprofits, including the Rice Soil and Water Conservation District, Rice County Historical Society and the three county libraries: Faribault, Lonsdale and Northfield. Each of the libraries, which continue to see increases in patronage, will receive $6,000 more in 2023 than in 2022.
By function, Roads and Bridges expenditures – at 24% — make up nearly one quarter of the 2023 budget. Human Services follows closely at 23% of the total budget. Public Safety is at 17%; General Government is at 14%.
The board on Tuesday also approved a separate $225,450 levy for the Housing & Redevelopment Authority, a 13.24% increase over 2022.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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