Election Day is November 8.

Are you prepared to cast your vote?

Find your polling place.

Visit myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Find-My-Polling-Place to find your polling place and create a plan.

Get to know your ballot.

Prepare yourself to vote by getting to know what’s on your ballot. To preview your ballot, visit myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Whats-On-My-Ballot and plug in your address.

Understand Moraine Park’s referendum question.

Here is Moraine Park’s referendum question as it will appear on the ballot:

Shall the Moraine Park Technical College District, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds or promissory notes in an amount not to exceed $55,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of capital expenditures for the purchase or construction of buildings, building additions, remodeling and improvements, site improvements, the acquisition of sites, and the purchase of fixed and other equipment at District locations, including, but not limited to, advanced manufacturing facilities at the Fond du Lac and West Bend Campuses, a health and human services facility at the Fond du Lac Campus, and a regional fire training facility?

What it means:

• Moraine Park is seeking taxpayer approval to borrow $55 million.

• The total project costs cannot be more than $55M.

• This translates to an estimated tax increase of $1.75 per month or $21 per year for every 100,000 of property value.

• This increase is temporary and will last for no more than 20 years.

Last minute questions?

Submit any remaining questions to us for direct responses.

Tomorrow, Moraine Park Technical College District residents will have the opportunity to vote on the College’s first referendum in more than 30 years. Here are the key takeaways the College wants community members to know:

Moraine Park is required to go to referendum.

By state law, the amount of money Moraine Park can spend on new buildings, additions, or land acquisition without going to voters is limited to $1.5 million per campus every two years. New buildings, additions, or land acquisition beyond the cap (not funded through gifts, grants, or federal funds) must be approved by voters in a public referendum. 

“Education is the key to economic growth in any community,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “Workforce growth is what will change our community, and as a technical college, we are the change agents. This referendum is vital to making change and growth happen at a time when technology and automation are influencing industry so rapidly.”   

We do have employer/donor support.

As part of this referendum, the Moraine Park Foundation is currently campaigning for donations totaling $2.5 million to offset the costs of the robotics addition in Fond du Lac. To date, the Foundation has raised more than $2.1 million. If the referendum is approved, Moraine Park will seek additional dollars from employers, foundations, and other state and federal grant sources to offset the cost of the equipment.

“Employers regularly donate to our Foundation with gifts of materials, supplies, and student scholarships,” Baerwald said. “In the last five years, employers have donated to a few unique campaigns. In 2017, employers donated more than $300,000 toward a facility expansion in Beaver Dam to support a new gas utility technician program. In 2018, many employers donated more than $1.2 million to support student scholarships for our new Promise Program.”

Tax Payer Impact:

The projected tax impact of the $55 million facilities enhancement plan is estimated to be $21 per year per $100,000 of property value ($1.75 per month) for the next 20 years. If approved, the tax burden would be assessed to all property owners within the Moraine Park District, which includes 130 municipalities. Our District includes nearly all of Fond du Lac, Washington, Dodge and Green Lake counties and portions of Waushara, Marquette, Columbia, Winnebago, Calumet and Sheboygan counties.

“We won’t borrow it all upfront,” Baerwald said. “It would be $20-25 million the first year, $18 million the second year and the remainder during the third year.”

If the referendum does not pass:

With the most recent 10-year master plan for the district’s facilities, more than $27 million in projects were found that needed to be done over the next 10 years. Baerwald said that by state statute the district is only allowed to do remodeling projects and capital expansion additions to the tune of $1.5 million per project. The current list would take more than 20 years to create what is already needed in area workplaces. 

“We need to invest in this kind of growth either way,” Jim Eden, Moraine Park vice president of teaching and learning, said. “If a referendum passes, we will accelerate Moraine Park’s ability to grow by about 15 years. If it does not, it will take the College 15 years to catch up.”

The ballot question:

Shall the Moraine Park Technical College District, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds or promissory notes in an amount not to exceed $55,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of capital expenditures for the purchase or construction of buildings, building additions, remodeling and improvements, site improvements, the acquisition of sites, and the purchase of fixed and other equipment at District locations, including, but not limited to, advanced manufacturing facilities at the Fond du Lac and West Bend Campuses, a health and human services facility at the Fond du Lac Campus, and a regional fire training facility?

“I really want the voters to be informed and encouraged to go out and vote,” Baerwald said. “It is an investment in the economic health and workforce development for our entire community whether you have attended Moraine Park or have not.” 

Community Quotes:

“The important connection with an employer like Grande Cheese Company and Moraine Park Technical College is the bridge it provides for continuing education. It’s not something we can do on our own so we are very reliant on other resources and training avenues.” –Kelly Norton, Sr. Director of Culture and Communications, Grande Cheese 

“This project will save a department like Hartford Fire and Rescue’s future expenses by allowing us to preserve our unique staffing model that we are currently using. Almost our entire staff, which is 65 employees, have had some education completed by Moraine Park Technical College. […] Building a state-of-the-art fire service facility for Moraine Park would help us greatly. […] We need to have staff coming into our department not only initially but ongoing training so we can keep up with the trends and updates in technology and equipment.” –Paul Stephans, Fire Chief, Hartford Fire and Rescue 

“The West Bend schools really appreciate our partnership with Moraine Park Technical College. It’s an integral part of our career and technical education program and helps put many of our students on a pathway to success.” –Jen Wimmer, Superintendent, West Bend School District 

“Us being in the trucking business, we know how to dispatch, we know how to deal with drivers, we know how to fix trucks. What we don’t know how to do is train them and teach them the way Moraine Park is able to do that.” –Tim Kreilkamp, CEO, Kreilkamp Trucking, Inc. 

“[Moraine Park] is one of our major pipelines of people. They do the training of the people for us who are going to take our jobs. […] Anything that we can do to keep our workforce local, in our community, and also offer educational opportunities and experience through Moraine Park will only make us better as an organization.” –Katherine Vergos, President, SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital 

“Moraine Park Technical College is a valuable community partner in our commitment to providing high-quality health care to our region’s residents, close to where they live, work and play. […] EMS/Paramedic students with MPTC enrich the health and wellbeing of the community.” –Angelia Foster, President, Marshfield Medical Center – Beaver Dam 

“MPTC is really important to the resiliency of the whole Fond du Lac Area. Automation, innovation and robotics here at the MPTC campus in Fond du Lac are really important when I think about the path we’re going down. If you don’t have trained individuals to run those machines, we really can’t run manufacturing.” –Andres Gonzales, Vice President – Human Resources,  Mercury Marine

Community Endorsements:

• Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce
• City of Horicon
• West Bend Chamber of Commerce

Over the last few months, Moraine Park Technical College’s Referendum has received the following community endorsements:

Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce

“Our chamber board has endorsed this referendum due to its possible impact on the educational facilities and in turn the future workforce in our areas. The updates and improvements at Moraine Park would target programs in high demand that impact citizens across the region in the career areas of robotics/automation, public safety, manufacturing, technology, and health care.”

West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce

At the September meeting of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, the Board had an extended discussion regarding this referendum for Moraine Park Technical College. Following that discussion, the Board voted to publicly support the Moraine Park Technical College referendum.

The Chamber recognizes that this is not a light-hearted venture for Moraine Park Technical College to turn to its constituents and request their support in the way of a tax increase. The Chamber acknowledges the due diligence and expertise that Moraine Park Technical College has utilized to assess the needs of its district and the use of that data to determine the largest funding impact.

Why is the Chamber supporting this referendum?

To answer that question, we will begin with a recent manufacturing statistic and a quote from a health care report. According to the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, there are expected to be more than 14,000 manufacturing jobs open over the next 10 years. The Wisconsin Hospital Association’s 2022 Health Care Workforce Report shares early survey results stating “registered nurse (RN) vacancy rates in the double digits for the first time since 2005. The nursing shortage has arrived.”

Envision Greater Fond du Lac

In 2021, the Board of Directors approved the creation of an Advocacy Committee. As an organization, we actively pay attention to local, state, and federal policies and legislation that impact our ability to grow our local economy. At times, the Advocacy Committee will recommend positions on certain policy matters pertinent to Envision’s mission and vision to the Envision Board of Directors for review and ultimate decision.   

After review, the Advocacy Committee recommended the Envision Board support the following ballot items:

Moraine Park Technical College – Moraine Park Technical College has also done their due diligence. This referendum would fund necessary projects across their district. There are four proposed pillars as part of this project: Advanced Manufacturing & Trades, Manufacturing, Automation & Robotics Lab, Fire Training Facility, and Health & Human Services Facility.

Our vision is to drive greater economic opportunities within our engaged communities through talent led economic development. In general, strong schools are critical to growth in economic development and talent attraction. We know that educational attainment rates are important to site selectors, developers, and business attraction. Our higher-than-state average on high school graduation attainment puts us at an advantage for low-skilled, entry-level positions. About 38% of county residents achieved only a high school diploma compared to 32% state average.

Soon, Moraine Park district residents will vote on a referendum authorizing the College to expand facilities.

Each project has been identified by local businesses as industry critical and necessary to economic growth in our region.

Are all your questions answered to make you an informed voter?

Submit any remaining questions to us for direct responses.

Soon, you will be asked to vote on a referendum authorizing the College to borrow $55M to expand facilities. Be informed when you get to the polls. Visit morainepark.edu/future for full project details. A few commonly asked questions are answered below.

Why are the proposed projects necessary?

Moraine Park Technical College plays a critical role in training students for jobs in our area. We serve more than 12,000 students at campuses in Dodge, Fond du Lac, and Washington counties. Our students pursue degrees in many high-demand areas and will fill job vacancies in our district communities. 

While our focus will always be on educating our students, we also need to develop a plan to update our buildings. After carefully reviewing the college facility needs for the past several years, we have determined that: 

Aging Facilities 

• Our fire training facility was built 25 years ago at the Beaver Dam campus. This facility is worn out, and the site is landlocked, preventing expansion. Controlled burns pose wind and weather challenges because it is located near Highway 151, a major four-lane road. 
• Many employers in our region are using robots and automation to design, build, and deliver goods. However, our advanced manufacturing and trades spaces are too small, unconnected, and cannot meet current demand. 
• Many of our healthcare instructional areas are aged and lack the technology and equipment now common in hospitals. 

Our Communities Need Our Alumni and Resources
Each year, over 2,000 skilled Moraine Park alumni begin their careers in our community; our alumni are a vital part of many local businesses in our district and Moraine Park is an educational partner to many.  

• There are expected to be more than 14,000 manufacturing job openings in our region in the next 10 years.  
• The healthcare field is one of the fastest growing in our region with over 8,000 job openings expected in the next 10 years.

Why doesn’t the College increase tuition to cover the projects?

The Wisconsin Technical College System sets the tuition rate each year for all technical colleges in the state. Moraine Park does not have the ability to raise or lower tuition rates.

What is the projected tax impact on our district property owners?

After more than a year of research, planning and stakeholder engagement, Moraine Park’s district board authorized a referendum package for four proposed projects not to exceed $55 million.

The projected tax impact of the $55 million facilities enhancement plan is estimated to be $21 per year per $100,000 of property value ($1.75 per month) for the next 20 years.

This election season, residents of the Moraine Park Technical College District will vote on a referendum authorizing the College to expand facilities- targeting high-demand areas through the following projects:

• Advanced Manufacturing and Trades enhancements

• Manufacturing, Automation and Robotics Lab expansion

• Fire Training Facility (new construction)

• Health and Human Services Facility enhancement

It’s no secret, ballot language is complex. To help you be prepared for Nov. 8–here’s what you can expect to see and what it means for you.

What You’ll See:

Shall the Moraine Park Technical College District, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds or promissory notes in an amount not to exceed $55,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of capital expenditures for the purchase or construction of buildings, building additions, remodeling and improvements, site improvements, the acquisition of sites, and the purchase of fixed and other equipment at District locations, including, but not limited to, advanced manufacturing facilities at the Fond du Lac and West Bend Campuses, a health and human services facility at the Fond du Lac Campus, and a regional fire training facility?

What It Means:

Moraine Park is seeking taxpayer approval to borrow $55 million.

The total project costs cannot be more than $55M.

This translates to an estimated tax increase of $1.75 per month or $21 per year for every 100,000 of property value.

This increase is temporary and will last for no more than 20 years.

Why is a referendum necessary to fund the projects?

By state law, the amount of money Moraine Park can spend on new buildings, additions, or land acquisition without going to voters is limited to $1.5 million per campus every two years. Any new buildings, additions, or land acquisition beyond the cap (not funded through gifts, grants, or federal funds) must be approved by voters in a public referendum. 

Similar to your local school district, our funding is a combination of local property taxes, state aid, and some federal dollars. Also, like schools, technical colleges are required to seek voter approval through a referendum to pay for major building projects.  

Our mill rate (which is used to calculate a technical college’s portion of property tax bills) has been declining in recent years.

In addition, we have never used a referendum to pay for facility projects. Therefore, we do not have any referendum debt.  

Our proposed projects are too large to be funded from our annual capital budget. 

Have questions? We will respond directly at morainepark.edu/future.

This November will be a historic voting year for Moraine Park–it’s the first time in over 30 years that the College has held a referendum.

Beyond the referendum, this year is a Gubernatorial election, meaning the next Wisconsin State Governor will be elected to a 4-year term. Get to know the candidates in your state and district area at https://wisconsinvote.org/candidates-races/.

Read about Moraine Park’s referendum at morainepark.edu/future.

In celebration of Manufacturing Month this October, learn about how Moraine Park Technical College plans to advance its Manufacturing programs through two proposed projects in the College’s referendum. Residents of Moraine Park’s district will vote on the referendum Nov. 8; authorizing the College to utilize up to $55 million to grow and expand facilities. The updates and improvements would target programs in high demand that impact citizens across the region in the career areas of public safety, health care, robotics/automation, manufacturing and technology.

Advanced Manufacturing and Trades – Fond du Lac

More than 14,000 manufacturing job openings are expected in the Moraine Park region in the next 10 years. As a result, many employers are using robots and automation to design, build and deliver goods. The demand for customized training partnerships has also grown significantly. Moraine Park’s advanced manufacturing and trade spaces are utilized by mechanical design, quality and advanced manufacturing, electromechanical technology programs, and short-term credentials and apprenticeships. As the programs and industry demand have grown, the learning spaces have become too small to effectively address the needs of business and industry partners that utilize Moraine Park.

“The automation, innovation and robotics project at the Moraine Park Fond du Lac Campus is really important when I think about the path that we’re going down,” Andres Gonzales, vice president of human resources at Mercury Marine, said. “How we manufacture today is different than how we manufactured a year ago. Robotics are only going to become more important. We are really partnering and relying on MPTC to help us make sure that we have a strong workforce that is up to date with the latest in technology and knows how to run robotics on the different types of machines that we have.”

The enhancement of Moraine Park’s manufacturing and trades wing on the Fond du Lac Campus will create classrooms and specialized labs to address local workforce shortages and provide enhanced spaces for instruction in software training, programming, product design, manufacturing and robotics. Additionally, this enhancement will support the infrastructure of Fond du Lac’s Automation, Innovation and Robotics (AIR) Center project, funded by the generosity of donors.

Estimated project cost: $13.7 million

Manufacturing, Automation and Robotics Lab – West Bend

Employers in the Moraine Park region are using robots and automation to design, build and deliver goods. However, Moraine Park’s advanced manufacturing and trade spaces at the West Bend Campus are too small and unconnected, creating inefficiencies. Through community conversations, employers and K-12 administrators have asked Moraine Park to expand courses in this area.

The expansion of Moraine Park’s West Bend Campus facilities will add a Manufacturing, Automation and Robotics Lab to support advanced manufacturing, welding, metal fabrication and robotics for apprenticeships, degree programs and job training.

“Moraine Park’s West Bend Campus expansion directly impacts our students and our schools,” Jen Wimmer, superintendent of the West Bend School District, said. “Our students will have an opportunity to earn credits and skills in automation, innovation and robotics. The field of manufacturing has evolved, and this expansion will ensure that our students are learning modern manufacturing skills. It is an experience that can not be replicated in our high school environment.”

The expansion would add seven new manufacturing programs to the West Bend Campus including electromechanical technology, mechanical design, quality advanced manufacturing and fabrication, and apprenticeships as new programs. Additionally, the welding program in Jackson would move to the West Bend Campus, enhancing campus culture among the advanced manufacturing program students. These new programs will help to fill the job growth gap over the next ten years and will offer hands-on training facilities for use by the district high schools.

Estimated project cost: $18.5 million

Learn more about Moraine Park’s referendum at morainepark.edu/future.

Moraine Park Technical College will now make available a one-year class schedule, allowing students to look a year or more ahead at the College’s course offerings. In early November 2022, students will be able to not only search for classes in the spring and summer 2023 semesters but will also be able to see class availability through the summer of 2024.

“The one-year class schedule will provide students access to class offerings like never before,” Dr. Fred Rice, associate vice president of academics at Moraine Park, said. “Students will know what classes are being offered and can plan their Moraine Park journey accordingly. This means for one-year programs, students will have the opportunity to map out their entire program schedule.”

Previously, class schedules were released one term at a time, meaning students could only see course offerings for the upcoming semester.

“This is such a positive win for students,” Dr. Rice said. “The one-year class schedule will make it easier for students to make full use of their financial aid and proactively manage and balance work and home life needs.”

This advanced schedule will also benefit local high school students who wish to take advantage of dual credit opportunities and earn both high school and college credit through Moraine Park’s Start College Now program.

“The new one-year class schedule will allow high school students to view Moraine Park’s class offerings semesters ahead of time so they can plan to participate in college courses at the same time they are planning out their high school class schedules,” Dr. Rice said.

To view Moraine Park’s class schedule, visit morainepark.edu/academics/classes. Future semesters will be available to view after Nov. 1.