Eden Valley city council update

At its Oct. 4 regular meeting, the Eden Valley city council heard from EV-W Superintendent Mark Messman and high school principal Dave Schneider about the upcoming operating referendum. The current operating levy in place was passed in 1994, and renewed in 2014; it is due for renewal in 2024, but it is for only $77 per student. The proposed referendum would end that one, and replace it with a referendum for $460 (still among the lowest in our area, but enough to maintain current staffing and programming).

Messman noted that 80% of the district’s budget is for its workforce. (See page 14 for much of what they presented to the council.)

A hearing was held about the UCAP grant program. They are having a hard time getting people to sign up, and the funds must be spent by September 2024 when any unused money must be sent back. The program provides $25,000 to fix up homes for -lower-income families. But there are a few impediments: a required downpayment (although there are other programs that may offset this requirement), a lot of paperwork to fill out, and it’s hard to find a contractor these days. The recommendation is for eligible homeowners to fill out the paperwork and send it in.

The next regular meeting of the Eden Valley city council will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1. Meetings are live-streamed and available for playback on the city’s website.