MANKATO, MN (October 3, 2023) – The Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. Board of Directors unanimously supports the 2023 Mankato Area Public Schools bond referendum.

“The economic growth and vitality of our members and the regional marketplace relies on strong public schools. The referendum on November 7th will provide the necessary resources for our children to have safe, secure, and quality education facilities. These future-focused facilities will support our community’s efforts to be a talent hub – recruiting, retaining, and attracting the workforce talent necessary for the future success of our members or our region,” said Jessica Beyer, President and CEO of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc.

Advocacy Process
This endorsement is the result of a deliberate and collaborative advocacy process. The Greater Mankato Growth Advocacy Committee, made up of members representing a wide variety of private industry sector businesses as well as public and non-profit organizations, reviewed the bond referendum proposal during a presentation by District staff and school board members. The committee made a recommendation to the GMG Board of Directors to support the bond referendum. The GMG Board of Directors further reviewed the referendum proposal, following a presentation by District staff, and voted unanimously to support both questions for the November 7th referendum vote.

“The advocacy efforts of Greater Mankato Growth are an important part of our work. We are committed to ensuring that policymakers – and the public – understand key issues that impact the economic growth of our community. The message from our members is clear, a steady pipeline of workforce talent is critical to their future success,” said Andy Wilke, Executive Vice President of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc.

Fiscal Responsibility
Mankato Area Public Schools has a history of engaging with many stakeholders in its financial planning process. This deliberate engagement with business leaders is good evidence of a transparent and collaborative process to ensure that the use of public tax dollars is done so in a sensible manner with broad support. As such, the district’s current debt level (on an average home value of $250,000) is $261 per year which compares favorably to the state average of $304 per year and $268 per year in the Big 9 conference. The overall tax rate is similarly situated at $887 per year compared to the state average of $962 per year and $968 per year in the Big 9 conference. The annual tax impact for both bond questions would be an estimated $151 for a home valued at $250,000 (roughly the average priced home in the district).

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About Greater Mankato Growth, Inc.
Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. (GMG) is comprised of four business units; Greater Mankato Growth, the regional chamber of commerce and economic development organization serving the regional marketplace; Visit Mankato, the destination management organization; City Center Partnership, a downtown development organization; and GreenSeam, which utilizes agriculture to build on the region’s extensive agribusiness assets to develop the ag economy.

Contact:
Andy Wilke, Executive Vice President
507.385.6640