On Monday night, the Northfield School Board took up the difficult task of cutting an additional $2.5 million from the district’s general 
budget.
This is the second year in a row that the district has found itself making budget cuts. Last year, the board cut $4.5 million from the budget, and Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann said further cuts are now needed.
About 70% of the school district’s funding comes from the state, and the amount it receives is based on the number of students who attend school within the district. For the last three years, the district has seen declining enrollment, and that trend is expected to continue for another seven years.
The district has been operating at a deficit for the past two years, and this is an attempt to balance the budget. While acknowledging that fact that budget cuts include cutting jobs, and disappointing people, Hillmann said it is important to reduce the budget now in order to reduce the impact the cuts could have in future years.
“This is financial management in action. It is tough. There is nothing that is good about it. However, these are the responsible actions that school districts need to take to make sure that they can maintain their budget not just for today but for the future. And anytime we reduce budgets in schools, of course we are going to impact people. We are a people business. We hire people to do good things. Kids and you can’t make substantial budget adjustments in any school without impacting people.”
The board was presented with several options totaling just over $2.5 million. Among the options are a reduction in full-time employees at Northfield High School and the elementary schools, discontinuing the Portage program, going to a six period, instead of a seven period, day at the Northfield Middle School, and discontinuing the after-school activity bus. However, Hillmann said there were two options that received the most amount of scrutiny.
The first would be the elimination of most middle school activities. Dr. Hillmann said the Community Education department is looking at how many of those activities could be moved or replaced under its umbrella, but they would cease to be tied directly to the middle school.
The other would look at charging those who live within two miles of school for transportation. Hillmann said this is not one of the options that has been presented to the board, but other districts throughout the state have implemented similar ideas, and he said the district is going to look at this as an option.
The list of cuts is bound to upset people, he said, and he actually sees that as a good thing, because it means people are engaged in their children’s education.
“Everything that we have in the school district has value and means something to someone. I would be disheartened, seriously disheartened, if people weren’t upset about a number of the things that are on the list of potential reductions for next year.”
The school board will make the final approval of the budget in late May. Hillmann said there will be opportunities for the public to offer opinions and feedback on the cuts.
Rice County taxes helping with road construction, may not be enough
With road construction costs rising sharply over the last 24 months, the Rice County Board of Commissioners has reiterated its support for 
a tax that has helped ensure a smoother ride for motorists in Rice County for nearly a decade.
According to a statement issued by Rice County, the proceeds from the one-half-cent sales tax that was first approved in 2014 help pay for needed county transportation projects. In all, the tax has brought in more than $32.5 million, according to county figures. In 2022 alone, the county collected $4.9 million.
A wheelage tax, which was approved in June 2013, has also helped the country maintain its transportation system. The $20 annual fee for each vehicle registered in the county has raised nearly $8.1 million since it was approved.
The tax will remain in place for the foreseeable future, if for no other reason than the rising costs that continue to hamper efforts to make headway on county transportation projects.
County engineer Dennis Luebbe said in the statement that the cost of reconstructing one mile of rural road, without utilities or streetlights, is just over $2 million.
In 2021, Minnesota counties saw transportation project costs increase by 25% over the prior year. Luebbe expects he will again see prices significantly higher when bids are opened in the weeks to come. Counties that have already opened bids on this year’s projects are finding costs are 15% over projections.
Luebbe said the cost increases are hindering management of the county’s 10-year plan for road construction. While the sales tax has been a great benefit to supplement county resources, he said the development of a plan that fully meets the county’s needs is becoming increasingly difficult.
City of Northfield wants to know where you park downtown
The City of Northfield is asking all members of the Northfield Community to tell them about how they travel to and around downtown Northfield.
The city is conducting a survey to learn more about how and why Northfield residents, businesses and property owners get to and from downtown and when and where they park. The goal is to identify issues or concerns people have traveling to, from and around downtown Northfield, and their concerns about parking while they are downtown.
The feedback will be shared and incorporated into the multiple private and public development projects that will likely happen in the next few years around the Riverfront and the Downtown corridor.
The city hopes everyone will complete the survey by March 31. To take the survey visit the Northfield website at northfieldmn.gov.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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