Tax levy to drop for ACGC
Tax relief is on the horizon for Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City property owners.
At its Dec. 16 meeting, the ACGC School Board dropped its levy by about 4 percent. The levy payable in 2014 will be $2.36 million, down from this year's levy of $2.46 million. Most of this amount, $1.26 million, was approved for the district's general fund, with $173,165 designated for community service and $933,063 for debt service.
Business Manager Dan Tait credited several factors for the levy decrease: deferred spending on a public safety project and overall reductions in spending over the past few years as the district has adjusted to a lower student population. Recent legislative action, including more timely school aid, is another factor. The district's total budget is approximately $8.5 million, with most of the revenue coming not from the levy, but from various state aids.
Because the board was not increasing its levy, no Truth in Taxation public hearing was necessary this year.
While a 4 percent levy reduction will translate into modest cuts in school property taxes, Superintendent Sherri Broderius and Tait said that greater relief appears to be in the district's future, once the bonds on the junior-senior high school building get paid off in 2016.
The board also adopted a list of 2013-2014 goals, following discussion Monday evening and at an earlier planning workshop in late October. Major goals for the district include:
* Updating communications, including a new website.
* Developing a plan to renew the current operating levy in 2015, with a vote during the general election in November 2014.
* Continued improvement in students' math and reading scores.
* Developing five business classes for 2014-2015.
* Maintaining rental income to cover operating costs at the Cosmos building, while continuing to seek to sell the building.
Board Vice Chair Mike Hendrickson announced two recent commendations for the district:
* Special Education teachers were recognized by the Southwest/West Central Cooperative for their compliance with Individual Education Plan standards, following a recent audit.
* School Board Member Judy Raske is slated to receive a President's Award from the Minnesota School Boards Association on Jan. 16, in recognition of more than 300 hours of attendance at MSBA activities.
Broderius and Raske reported that, although negotiations are progressing on the 2013-2014 teachers' contract, resolution is not expected before the first of the year.
The annual reorganizational meeting for the ACGC board is scheduled for 7 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 9.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
19 hours ago
- Newsweek
Is This the Real Reason Southwest Changed Its Boarding Policy?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. On a recent Southwest flight from Las Vegas to San Jose, so many passengers requested wheelchair pre-boarding that the plane took off late—only for most of those passengers to walk off the aircraft upon arrival, no wheelchair necessary. Frequent fliers call them "Jetway Jesuses" — apparently disabled passengers who take advantage of the perks of boarding via wheelchair, only to miraculously recover in the air and deplane with full use of their legs. Travel industry outlets have repeatedly called out what has become a common practice—part of a growing trend that is drawing increased scrutiny from airline analysts, truly disabled travelers and even law enforcement. Now, some regular Southwest fliers are wondering if this surge in last-minute wheelchair requests is one of the reasons the airline is changing its signature open-seating policy. Newsweek reached out to Southwest for comment but did not immediately hear back. A boarding agent (r) checks his computer as travelers wait to board a delayed Southwest Airlines flight inside Denver International Airport's Concourse C. A boarding agent (r) checks his computer as travelers wait to board a delayed Southwest Airlines flight inside Denver International Airport's Concourse C. Getty Images The Context For years, Southwest maintained an open policy where passengers could take any available seat upon boarding. That meant those who were first in line to board would have the best options available to them. The way to board early? Be a frequent flier, buy a higher-tier ticket — or use a wheelchair. Then last summer, Southwest stunned the travel industry by announcing it would move away from that well-known practice of not assigning seats—the biggest change in the company's 53-year history. The Dallas-based airline made the announcement in July 2024, following a tough year in which profits fell more than 46 percent compared to 2023. Southwest said the move was intended to "elevate the Customer experience, improve financial performance, and drive Shareholder value." What to Know Under federal law, airlines are not permitted to require medical proof of disability or inquire into the nature of a passenger's condition. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and subsequent aviation-specific guidelines are designed to ensure accessibility for all. But that openness, critics argue, has made the system vulnerable to exploitation. Reports of wheelchair pre-boarding followed by miraculous recoveries at arrival gates have become frequent enough to gain their own nickname in the industry. "We used to call them 'Miracle Flights,'" said a former Southwest flight attendant quoted in a Simple Flying article. "The worst were flights from LaGuardia to Palm Beach—40 wheelchairs on, nearly all of them walked off." The consequences are not just logistical, say industry insiders—they're ethical and financial. Passengers with genuine mobility limitations often find themselves waiting behind those using wheelchairs for convenience. In View from the Wing, travel pundit Gary Leff put it bluntly: "They don't all need a wheelchair. They've just cracked the code." Beyond perceptions of unfairness, the policy also affects scheduling. Wheelchair pre-boarding can add at least several extra minutes to the already tight boarding process—delays that cascade across an airline's daily operations. "A 10-minute delay can affect passengers with connections and delay downline flights operated by the same aircraft or with the same crew," Leff noted. Hey @SouthwestAir it is absurd that people have to pay extra to board as early birds so we can feel safe in your boarding process and then see 25 individuals in wheelchairs, boarding first for free and running and walking once we land. Stupidity or miracles? — Rubén Ortiz (@rubennortiz) December 12, 2020 The shift to assigned seating won't affect Southwest's legal obligation to accommodate passengers with disabilities. The airline will still offer wheelchair boarding and assistance. What changes is the outcome: those who pre-board will go directly to their assigned seats—not to the prime spots near the front of the plane. "This is going to eliminate a lot of the nonsense," Leff wrote. "Seat savers, the wheelchair scams, and the last-minute disputes over row space—it all goes away." Among other changes, Southwest has updated its checked bag policy. For the first time, passengers with a standard ticket will no longer get two free checked bags. Instead, the airline will begin charging fees for checked luggage. What Happens Next Southwest plans to eliminate its open seating model and shift to assigned seating starting next year. In a press release, the airline said it would begin selling tickets with seat assignments in late 2025.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Southwest Airlines Might Fly to Europe in Major Change
Southwest Airlines is still dealing with passenger fallout over its elimination of free checked bags for most customers. The popular, largely domestic airline's deviation away from unassigned seating was also a significant change for people to absorb. At the same time, Southwest is making some other big moves that might be more to passengers' liking. And one of them would be massive. The airline is planning to move headfirst into the international market. That means that Southwest could start offering fares to Europe. The airline may add a route to Reykjavík, Iceland, in early 2026, according to Aviation2z. That would be the airline's first flight to Europe, according to View from the Wing. The significance is that this would be Southwest's "first transatlantic route." Normally a domestic airline, Southwest Airlines "is expected by many to announce its first flight to Europe," that site reported. Perhaps more significantly, it may signal the start of something bigger for the airline. Customers may have the ability to fly to new European routes through Southwest down the road. The airline "may use its upcoming partnership with Icelandair (FI) to offer access to additional European destinations," the Aviation2z site reported, "leveraging Iceland as a strategic entry point into Europe." According to View From the Wing, with the exception of Mexico and the Caribbean, Southwest has been mostly known as a domestic carrier. Until the near future, perhaps. That site explained that Iceland is the best choice for the launch because Southwest's planes can make it there. The Points Guy noted that the airline has had some flights outside the U.S. before, but the last one added was to Cozumel in 2020, which stopped in 2024. "We believe its first forays into long-haul international service could involve connecting into Reykjavík, which is in range for its [737] MAX 8s," wrote Tom Fitzgerald, an airline analyst, in a May 31 report, according to The Points Airlines Might Fly to Europe in Major Change first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2025
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Southwest Airlines is Changing Its Identity
Southwest Airlines has long held a lot of competitive advantages over other airlines, offering free checked bags for all customers, an open seating plan, and a large number of direct flights thanks to its point-to-point model. However, it seems like all of those things are now changing. Earlier this year, Southwest announced the end of its beloved "bags fly free" policy as well as its longstanding open seating policy. It began charging customers for checked bags last month and is expected to begin charging customers to select seats starting next year. In addition to those changes, it sounds like Southwest is also going to be moving away from its point-to-point model. A point-to-point network prioritizes direct flights between specific city pairs regardless of the distance between those two points. A hub-and-spoke network, meanwhile, connects many smaller cities to a central hub, increasing efficiency but also increasing travel time. While Southwest has long been the largest and most dominant point-to-point carrier in the United States, it looks like the airline is going to be moving away from that model and is instead embracing a hybrid approach. "On Wednesday, June 4, Southwest Airlines senior leaders spoke at the 9th Annual Future of the Consumer Conference, an industry gathering hosted by investment bank TD Cowen. Among many things that were discussed, it became very clear that Southwest Airlines is looking to evolve away from its traditional point-to-point business model towards a more hybrid approach that incorporates greater connectivity into the picture. The airline reaffirmed that it would aim to remain the dominant point-to-point carrier in the United States," Alexander Mitchell wrote for Simple Flying on Sunday. This is yet another major change in identity for the airline after a string of other high-profile changes. It will certainly be interesting to see how it works out for the airline in the near and distant future. Southwest Airlines is Changing Its Identity first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 9, 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
