Welcome

Introduction

This meeting is not designed to be a debate. Under the current option presented to us by the Maple River school, we simply have two options,

Yes or No

If you have any questions, please ask!

Maple River Task Force Members Amboy Good Thunder Mapleton Minnesota Lake

Jay Pederson Amy Klammer Joe Samuelson Adam Knewtson

Owen Dickey Stacy Karles Collette Drager Tara Garbes

Tom Boeck Sarah Karles Kris/Pat Duncanson Darin Schirmer

Jennifer Berkner George Spear Dan Sohre Kris Evanson

Edie Haroldson Kelsey Bergemann Kim Walters Jen Simon

Randy Urban Steve Breiter Bill Daly

Bob Decker

John Hollerich

In addition: 3 School Board Members 3 Teacher Representatives A Business Manager Activities Director 4 School Administrators Facilitator South Central Service Cooperative

Maple River Task Force

Looked at multiple options A. No Changes to current layout

B. Remodel and Limited expansion of Mapleton Building A. Cost $31 - 38 Million

C. Full Remodel and Full Expansion of Mapleton Building. (K-12 in one building)

A. Cost $39.5 51.6 Million

D. New Building for 6-12 A. Cost $42.5 - $59.5 Million

E. New Building for K 12 A. $48-65 Million

A. Final cost estimate is 47.7 Million

Task Force proposal E New School to be built in Mapleton (K-12)

The current schools in Mapleton, Amboy, Good Thunder and Minnesota Lake will no longer be used.

There is money in the referendum to demolish the three current schools if they are not repurposed. What happens to the demolition money if someone

purchases the building(s)? Once the building project is completed, any excess bond proceeds

that exist in the construction account will be transferred to the debt service fund. This will result in a reduction in future debt service levies, which results in a reduction in your taxes.

Key Points in the proposal Positives

The school is in one building Central location for everyone in the district Not a band aid approach More green space for playgrounds Mapleton could grow with an elementary school in town. Upgraded technology Infrastructure (HVAC) will be upgraded. This is an inevitable scenario ADA compliance Reduced staffing costs No operating costs for outlying schools We would be getting away from Hwy 22 Majority of students live near Mapleton No controversy over where kindergarten students attend

Key Points in the proposal

Challenges Could lose students due to location.

K-12 staff downsizing is possible

Construction costs will rise if not approved in the first year.

The financial burden is on our farmers

80% of our community members do not have kids in school. Will they vote for it?

Asking for that much money the first time around is a challenge. Will people vote for it?

No one likes to see their small community schools close.

What is the true cost to the Maple River District?

Maple River Tax Sheet 1

A

Annual Dollars required to service the current and proposed Maple River Debt.

A

Annual Dollars paid to the existing building levy. This from the addition to the Mapleton and Good

Thunder buildings

A

Actual annual principle and interest paid on the proposed new school building each year

True Cost????

$ 477,427.00 (Existing building Levy) $ 62,435,800.00 (total increase for 20 years. Off of the tax sheet) $ 62,913,227.00

These figures are only for the facility only and do not include an operating referendum.

This is the money that will not be spent by taxpayers for anything else in the district! Ex.) Entertainment, Gas, Food, Vehicles, Homes, Home repairs, etc.

Cost vs Savings $ 62,435,800.00 - Total new school referendum cost $ 47,700,000.00 Proposed new school building cost $ 14,735,800.00 Interest on the new building

$ 736,790.00 Annual Interest

According to the Maple River 2015 fact sheet. A benefit to our community is:

Saves over $600,000 every year in operational costs, which can be better used for student programming and activities What is the breakdown of the over $600,000 of savings?

Increased efficiency of mechanical systems: $300,000 Increased staffing efficiency: $300,000

What is the facility going to cost me?

1. Go to the Maple River website and use the Property Tax Calculator.

2. Input your house/farm value off of your tax statements. 3. This will tell you how much the new school is going to

cost you. 1. Dont forget to add in the cost of the operating referendum

on your tax statement.

4. To figure your true cost per acre. Divide this amount by the tillable acres of the farm.

My Land Non Homestead (80 acre tract)

Due to the State Hwy 30, County road 14, Danville Town Hall and Wildlife Habitat there are 38 tillable acres

Still under mortgage

Danville Town Hall

My Land

Taxable value off of my 2015 tax statement. - $440,100.00

Tax increase from the online tax calculator - $945.55

Operating referendum - $206.41

$945.55

$206.41

$1,151.96 Total school cost on this farm.

$1,151.96 / 38 = $30.32/Acre

My Land Other taxes

Blue Earth County $1,639.24

Danville Township $ 271.40

Region 9 $ 6.88

Total property taxes $ 1,917.52

1,917.52 / 38 = $50.47/acre

When I add in the school taxes.

Total taxes $80.79 acre!

The Future Will taxes increase?

2016 taxes Blue Earth County

.01% (Approved)

Faribault County 3.4% (Approved)

Waseca County 4% (Proposed)

Minnesota Lake 3% (Proposed)

Good Thunder 3.4 % (Proposed)

Mapleton - ? Amboy - ?

Will school operating costs also raise over the next 20 years?

Breitbart News reported in January that farmland prices were estimated to have fallen 3 percent, for their first fall since 1986. But the Chicago Federal Reserve just upped the decline to 8.9 percent, and Grants Interest Rate Observer warns that farmland is now in a long-term bear market with prices vulnerable to another 20-to-25 percent decline.

What will Farmland values do?

On an annualized basis farmland prices are declining by 6% to 7%.

The September farm equipment-sales index was unchanged from August's anemic 14.2. "The 2014 and 2015 downturns in farm income continue to reduce sales and production of agriculture equipment dealers and producers across the region. Bankers remain pessimistic about the short and intermediate prospects for agriculture equipment dealers and producers on rural main street,"

The potential for reduced farm income in 2015 will likely continue to put downward pressure on farm real estate markets in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. Many experts feel another decline of 10-15% in land values during 2015 is highly likely in many portions of the region.

What happens if farmland falls to $3,750.00/acre?

There are 179,501 acres in the Maple River School District that are listed as type 2A, 2B land that will pay the lions share of a new school facility.

Here is the information that was tabulated for the Maple River Referendum $$$

What happens if the referendum fails?

More than likely we will see the same proposal up for a vote next March.

Because next fall is an election year we will not likely see a proposal on the ballot.

What do we need to do?

We need to set up a committee to help get things done.

Any Volunteers?

Get the word out!

Talk to our friends and neighbors.

Educate them on what the financial burden will do to Main street and our farming community

Assure people they have the right to vote no.

Dont feel forced to vote yes because we absolutely need a new school.

Advertise

Put up VOTE NO Yard signs Billboards Banners

Send out VOTE NO Literature. Local Papers

How do we pay for these things?

Do everything we can to: Save our Communities Save Our Farms

We are

Remember, no matter how this all turns out.

B

A taxing jurisdictions taxable net tax capacity is the total net tax capacity of all properties within the jurisdiction, excluding property located in a tax increment financing district.