While we're trying to affect change and try to make things better for kids right now, it's also about the continu continuum through school. So I can see that and I think you guys are doing a great job. So thank you. All right. Anything else Tom on this? Should we do we get to tell them they are now dismissed? You want the meeting is going to come close to an end? Stick around. We're close but it's up to you guys. Yeah. My only comment would be thank you. Thank you to everybody. Um you know you heard me say this in November. It's just awesome that everyone's here supporting each other, sticking around. No one's bailing on the presentations when they're done, right? So I and just thanks and appreciation from all of us here today. All right. Thank you. That's it. Okay. Next is very exciting item 4.1 public hearing school calendar waiver.
Oh yeah. Sure. or this should look very familiar because we did this um a couple meetings ago and in full transparency um there's a lot of paperwork that goes with submitting a waiver to the state and I uh one of the requirements is that I notify our union partners about the the public hearing for this waiver and I said at our next meeting and the state requires me to say the date in the time of our meeting. So, they got a new notice and the statement is requiring me to redo this public hearing. Is there anyone from the public who wishes to speak about Brad? I'm gonna pause you a second because I have a highlight. This is a thing I have to read and I don't want to do this a third time. So, it says Brad will explain this item then conduct the hearing.
Once he's conducting the hearing, we will ask if there are any comments from the public where you where you are able to see where you will be able to see Cindy Rodriguez, our board recorder, for a form to fill out. Then Brad says all the stuff he just says and he keep keeps you can keep doing that part and then I'll say my next part. So Joanne Martin any comments. All right. So um that is what we have to do. So after this meeting there were no comments from the public. I will let the state know that. I will resubmit all of our paperwork and hopefully we can get our calendar approved by the state of Illinois. So thank you.
Are there any questions or comments from the board on this? So, is this gonna come back to us again or this is like I mean if it does I'm not doing it the right way, right? No. So, we don't I already feel bad about this. So, we like So, we voted to say yes, you can do this and now you're just doing the Well, no. I I you guys did everything that you guys needed to do. I left out one part and the state kicked it back and says you have to redo everything. So, I'm redoing and this was despite the fact that both union leadership teams were here that evening. I said I can show you on video that the union was here at the meeting and they're like, "Well, it's not good enough." You didn't say the date here. Didn't say the date.
I tried. Okay. So, I do I think I kicking it back to you, right? Yeah. Yeah. So, and it was any questions for the comments from the board on this on top of that. Okay. I will entertain a motion to approve the application seeking school calendar waiver. So, move by Raquel. Second. Second by Katie. Cindy, please lead us in roll call vote. Yes. Gerals. Yes. Arandu. Yes. Gonzalez Thomas. Yes. Kilberg. Yes. Meadows. Yes. Sligger. Yes. All right. And motion passes. Thank you very much. And I will also then entertain a motion to adjurnn as we don't typically do board comments at special board. So moved. So moved. Second. Second. All in favor? I. Does that work, Cindy? Or do you want to do a roll call vote? That works. No. All in favor? I. Let's has it as a roll call. Danielle has as a voice.
whether it's M or capital, but it looks like you're saying that this our intention is only for capital use. Did I understand that correctly? No, that wasn't my point. I was trying to uh make it clear that uh the current language keeps it flexible that uh if it's a sale under current statute the monies would largely be used for capital but if it's a lease which is where a lot of districts are these days perhaps not yours but most districts that are disposing of property now uh are aiming toward leases because they they desperately need operating dollars. So the ballot language that's before the board today makes no predetermination on that point. Uh we we allow for any eventuality under uh then current law. So whatever law will be in effect uh next year or thereafter. So we're not we're not we're purposefully not putting the district or the board in a box.
Uh we're just allowing the ultimate flexibility which is our general approach to elections. I I do understand that that every district is different and you know your district may have particular needs, but I haven't we like I said earlier, we haven't been challenged or really even questioned on on on the current language. We've not had someone say, "Well, we need more specificity on how we're going to use the sale or lease proceeds or perhaps that we want a sale question uh and a separate lease question." Uh that's never come up on my radar. Um not to say that we we couldn't do it. I think that would be perfectly legal to do separate valid questions. Uh we just haven't done so uh in the past, nor have we been asked to. It would it would cost a little more to have a second ballot question on there or perhaps even a third if you wanted to include the exchange option uh just because, you know, the county would charge more for that.
But uh um that's that's been my approach. Like I said, we haven't had an issue with it because I think ultimately we're in a single subject which is the disposition of of district property. Yeah. And and in the past that the issue within the district has been the fact that there is no specificity as far as how those funds will be used where the community wants to know upfront how will this money be used. The other issue is um I thought that there's there wouldn't be additional expense because it it is a mail-in ballot. Uh well, Mr. Moore could certainly check with the county on that, but I can't imagine that they wouldn't charge a little more. I mean, that uh for a second question just because uh it it it would be additional. It it would be it it would be more uh a longer ballot, you know, more type face, if you will, perhaps an extra uh piece of paper in there.
I I don't know exactly, but we could find that out for sure. Okay. But yeah, I I do know for our districts that do kind of what you see as the typical second question, but like you were already planning on because you're already doing an override election. Um, and then to put the sight sale on, there's certainly a second an extra expense for that site sale. So now if we're doing a third perhaps question, so one sale, one lease, and one override, then I I got to imagine the countyy's going to that's going to be reflected in in what you're going to pay the county to some degree. But I don't know what that number would be. Okay. Yeah, that was that was a question I had brought up uh during a previous meeting and um it was mentioned that because it's mail in there wouldn't be additional um expense for that.
Um so it would be nice to get some clarification on that. Uh and I know that the recommendation from Mr. Moore was initially for a lease. Uh so I I don't understand that if if the recommendation is for a lease then why we're not just going with that one option. Um and in your response you had mentioned that uh let me find your response. Um the 5if 15 1102 doesn't require an election, but it does require an election if we do have a lease of um at least 20 years or more. Uh so based on the the term of a lease, it would require voter approval. Um, also my concern with a lease is, you know, do we're getting now into the business of real estate and we're in the business of education. And so then we have issues as far as do we have staff that's knowledgeable enough to be managing, overseeing, you know, property.
uh what is the what is the the benefit to the community and and I know Mr. Moore mentioned that possibly a multifamily housing project uh and based on how how this is going to benefit the district also determines how the money can be used. do we know uh what that looks like? And I also had asked as far as an estimate of monthly revenue that we could potentially see from a lease. And I, you know, we weren't able to get that information. Uh and we're told that this has to be approved before any of that negotiation can happen. Uh but there are companies out there that do kind of a perform a um type of evaluation to determine based on market value what that would look like. President Wade, uh member Van Hook, I can answer some of those questions. Um so with regards to the sale, lease or exchange question and including all language, um correct me if I'm wrong, Mr.
deal, but once you have authority or voter approval to sale or lease, that that authority is permanent. And so if we were to do um pass um a resolution and the voters were to approve this resolution with all three verbiage, it would give us in the board the ultimate authority at a later time or or now to to do exercise each one of those options. So again, it gives the the board that authority um and again it it it's a timing issue with regards to what makes sense for the district at a certain time. In regards to the lease, um we have uh there there's a couple leases out there. Kyne has one uh with an industrial warehouse um property and they get about $700,000 a year um in revenue. And so I've explained to the board and and the public many times that we are currently making lease payments of our own to the tune of 3.5 million and any revenue additional revenue that we would generate would be prudent of us to offset that lease payment um which would open up more operational dollars for teacher salaries increases etc.
So, um, that is one of my main goals as a CFO is to try to reduce that current lease burden that the district's under. And by, uh, leasing a vacant piece of land that district owns, that we would be generating revenue to reduce that burden and ultimately put more money back in our classrooms. President Wade, may I? Go ahead, sir. All right. I just want to reiterate, you know, we are following the law here, uh, by asking voters permission to do so as required to law to to dispose, sell, or exchange or lease land. Um, if we don't, you know, I don't I don't I don't I don't understand putting the cart before the horse. If we don't like the terms of the disposition of the land or whatever it is, we don't have to do anything with this. Can you just, Mr. Gil, confirm that statement, please?
Yes. Uh, good point. Uh this is if if you approve this in its present state, all you're asking the voters to do is do their part and approve it in November. If they do so, then um next year or in the future, uh it will come back to the board, this board or a future board for how the uh what the district what the uh administration's ultimate recommendation is as to any disposition. Um if if at all. Um, I mean to Tyler's point, this provides the ultimate flexibility. The only correction I would add, uh, is although the authority to sell or exchange is perpetual if the voters approve, the authority to lease expires after 20 years. So, still still ample time to do something. Um, and some districts have taken advantage of that. We've had clients who have waited 10 years until the conditions were right in both the real estate market and at the district itself to act on a sale, lease or exchange question and ultimately leased uh some property.
Um some boards have the mindset that they the property any district property is kind of their birthright and they want to do whatever they can to hold on to it. So a lease makes sense to them even if it's long term you know 50 years plus. Uh ultimately they'll get it back at some point and uh they can do it if the district's needs change at that point. They can build the school or or dispose of it again. So thank you. Thank you for that. Absolutely. It's the law. Thanks, President Wade. Mr. more now in a in a situation of a lease, how do we how do we foresee the district managing that as far as qualified staff to I mean do we become a a management uh pro you know property management business like who who do you foresee managing this project and we don't have qualified staff at the district that's, you know, involved in real estate management.
So then are we going to then have to spend money to hire dedicated staff? How does that how do you foresee that looking? Yeah, President Wade, member Van Hook, um we would Yeah, you're you're right. We we we're not qualified. We're not real estate individuals. um we we do manage you know 16 schools across the district but with regards to um real estate with multif family etc. Um we would we would hire that out or contract that out as a part of that lease agreement that is something that I would encourage the board to do. Yeah it would hurt some of our revenue. So, for example, if a total lease opportunity for maybe uh a proposal on that land is 700,000, but it costs us 100,000 to contract out somebody to run that, that's still a net benefit of 600,000 to the district. So, um I still think the pros out outweigh the the cons of of some of the overhead that may be u brought upon the district with a lease.
Um, and that's just my my two cents. I um sorry, go ahead. No, go ahead. I was going to say I also um at the last I correction you Mr. Moore might not have been the May 13th. It may have been the April 22nd. Um that land currently is vacant. There is nothing on that land. We're not getting anything from it. We still have to maintain that land. So there is still costs to the land just existing as well. Um, and so I'm appreciative of the fact that right now as a district, we are doing everything we can to listen to and respond to not only the needs that we have in order to maintain running the district that we have and continuing to improve upon ourselves and provide the best opportunity for our students to continue to improve upon Higgley. but we are also doing what we can to try to respond to the fact that we didn't pass a bond twice.
And so the idea that we're looking at other things, it was uh previously that uh I think it was board member Van Hook talked about selling that land off in order to gain revenue. I'm appreciative to the fact that this would be an annual income. Whereas if we sold that land, I think it was like 7 million is what we'd get at current. if we're making revenue off it each year in terms of property value and the lease and all of that. I'm appreciative of the options that we have created and the benefit that that is to the district to looking towards ways of of increasing our revenue not at the cost of our constituents. So, I think at least from my perspective, the idea of putting forth this proposal and looking at the options that we have and setting everything up to where it's in the best interest of the district overall, at least from the way that I look at it, is responding to all of the needs that not only our district has, but our community has expressed as well.
President Wade, Mr. more. Can you tell me what the cost of maintaining the vacant land currently is as far as um weed whacking weeds? Yeah. Member Van Hook, we use um our current landscaping crew to maintain that land. So, I would estimate um probably, you know, 50 to 100 maybe man hours out of out of the year. And so it's really just taking uh our landscaping crew away from our um schools to maintain that land right now. So but the but the maintenance is very minimal considering it's just getting rid of weeds. Sure. Sure. Yeah, I would agree. Thank you. Um, my concern again with the lease is just our our purpose is education and not property management necessarily. Even though yes, we we manage all of our school district properties, but going into property management as far as housing and things like that, that's a whole different ballgame.