We can all appreciate an elected local government body working to make sure money is spent effectively by serving the greatest number of people efficiently.
The devil, however, is sometimes in the details.
Last month, the Lakeville School Board approved a polling place consolidation plan for a special election in May, one where voters might OK $139-plus million in bonding for expansion and improvement of the district’s three middle schools. The plan consolidated 20 polling places in Dakota and Scott counties to four. The approved plan means voters within Scott County in the Lakeville School District – about 6,375 of them – will have to drive to Lakeville or vote via early voting by mail or absentee voting to avoid driving to Lakeville on Election Day.
Some of those approximately 6,375 voters will adapt to consolidation and vote either by mail, by absentee or buckup and drive into Lakeville to cast a ballot the old-fashioned way – in person. For a variety of understandable reasons, others won’t participate.
Understandably, members of the Elko New Market City Council didn’t approve of the consolidation plan. Besides not informing communities impacted by the consolidation plan, the city council was concerned about disenfranchised voters. In the November general election, the Lakeville School District used 20 precincts, including three in Scott County, to pass a renewal of the district’s operating levy and decide a contested school board seat.
Lakeville School District Superintendent Michael Baumann took responsibility for not informing the city of Elko New Market of the proposed consolidation plan.
Running an election costs the school district about $150,000. The Lakeville School District said consolidating 20 polling places into four will save the district about $30,000. Unto itself, that’s a significant amount of money, but it’s a small portion of the district’s $212.13 million general fund.
A school district spending about $8.7 million more than it will take in, even a school district like Lakeville expecting a $22.39 million general fund balance, calls for some belt-tightening no doubt. But is consolidating polling places out of a growth area like ENM the best possible plan?
Besides saving $30,000, another part of the decision is Scott County uses different election equipment than Dakota County. That wasn’t too big an issue for the general election.
When there is a $139.6 million bond referendum on the table, eliminating polling places in eastern Scott County to save $30,000 seems questionable. It’s hard to argue with Lakeville School Board Director Brian Thompson, the chairman of the school board, when he noted making it easy for all school district voters to participate in a special election, even those Scott County, is part of the cost of doing business.
Several options to the approved consolidation plan were suggested and discussed. Compared to topics passed without public discussion, the debate was refreshingly open and in-depth. The approved consolidation plan passed but only by a 4-3 margin.
The special election polling places had to be set by Jan. 1, 2026. Hopefully, those who backed consolidation will be asked to explain their decision. Then, it’s up to Lakeville School District voters in Elko New Market, Credit River, Spring Lake Township in Scott County and Empire in Dakota County to determine if the explanation is acceptable.
While ENM City Councilor Josh Berg’s frustration is understandable, his suggestion the city seek changing the district’s boundaries is undoable. Lakeville School Board members won’t surrender undeveloped land someday housing students without significant cost and probable costly court action.
Berg’s suggestion the consolidation of special election polling places for the bond referendum out of Scott County to Dakota County makes an interesting conspiracy theory he’ll likely never prove. The district’s levy renewal passed in Dakota County precincts 71% to 29%. In Scott County, the renewal passed, 54.47% to 45.52%.
Here's a more plausible theory. At its Dec. 18 meeting, Elko New Market City Administrator Tom Terry told the ENM City Council he has served on Lakeville School District long-term planning committees over past few decades. The school district, in his view, has demonstrated a very strong geocentric view of itself over the years. Its consolidation plan and the lack of notice to member communities strongly suggests Terry may be correct.