In mixed news for supporters of the proposed Confluence Project, the Eau Claire County Board voted 21-5 to pledge $3.5 million toward the university/community performing arts center contingent on an April 1 referendum of county voters. The board’s decision came after nearly three hours of questions, testimony, and debate about the issue Tuesday night.

Earlier in the meeting, county board members voted 15-11 to add an amendment to the proposed pledge that would require a public referendum. Board member Joel Mikelson said the issue of putting taxpayer dollars toward the proposed downtown performing arts center warranted citizen input. “I think it’s only fair that the taxpayer gets a kick at the can countywide,” he said before the vote, a sentiment that numerous board members echoed.

The motion requiring a referendum was made by board member Gerald Wilkie, who said a vote of the public was warranted because the county can’t fund all the capital projects it would like and the fact that there has been a great deal of community interest in the Confluence Project.

Because of the probability of a city referendum on the project, county residents outside the city limits should be allowed to vote, too, because otherwise they would feel disenfranchised, board member Mike Conlin told his colleagues.

A minority of board members disagreed about the referendum, arguing that requiring one amounted to the board passing the buck. “We were elected to represent the people,” said board member Sue Miller. “So let’s do our due diligence to represent the people.” Another referendum opponent, board member Kathy Clark, noted that many publicly funded community amenities – such as bike trails – probably would never have become reality had they been put to a referendum first. “Voting for the referendum is voting against the project,” she said.

“We were elected to represent the people. So let’s do our due diligence to represent the people.” –Sue Miller, Eau Claire County Board memberMiller added that the likelihood of two different Confluence funding referendums on the April 1 ballot – one from the city, one from the county – will only confuse voters. Such confusion may arise because the referendums will be for different purposes and will be phrased differently. The county referendum question will ask voters whether or not $3.5 million in taxpayer funds should be spent on the project. In other words, a “yes” vote is one of support. By contrast, the potential city referendum – which the Eau Claire City Council will formalize on Tuesday, Jan. 28 – would ask voters whether a referendum should be held whenever the city commits to spending $1 million or more on a performing arts facility. In other words, it’s a referendum on a referendum. Because a second referendum could delay – or even derail – the Confluence (more on that later), project backers will encourage residents to vote “no” on the city referendum.

After the board approved the amendment requiring a referendum, members debated the merits of making the $3.5 million pledge. According to county estimates, the $3.5 million commitment would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $5.92 in property taxes annually for the next decade. That wouldn’t be a “terrible burden” for taxpayers, especially considering Eau Claire County has one of the lowest county tax rates in the state, board member Colleen Bates said.

Some board members said they opposed any county spending on the project because they saw little benefit for county residents outside the city. “To me, the Confluence Project is basically a downtown revitalization project,” said board member Gary Gibson, who represents a rural district in eastern Eau Claire County. Gibson said the existing civic center and theaters haven’t revived the downtown. “Can we as taxpayers afford to do more of the same?” he asked rhetorically.

But board member Stella Pagonis dismissed the notion that the Confluence Project will only help city residents. “To suggest that individuals who live in the more rural areas aren’t going to benefit – everyone benefits from sales tax,” she said, noting that most of the county’s sales-tax revenue comes from within the city but pays for countywide services.

Before the vote, board members listened to – and asked questions of –the public-private partners who are pushing for the $78 million Confluence Project, which would include a performing arts center, student housing, and commercial space. Those partners include UW-Eau Claire, the Eau Claire Regional Arts Council, and Commonweal Development, a private firm.

University officials explained they would prefer to collaborate with the community on the Confluence Center – the cost of the $50 million multistage performance venue would be evenly split between UWEC and the local arts community – but that time is running out. Mike Rindo, assistant chancellor for facilities and university relations, said UWEC will decide this spring whether to continue to be a part of the project or to pursue building its own performing arts facilities on campus. The UW System Board of Regents will set its capital budget in August, he said, and the university must make its decision before then. “The more uncertainty there is in the community, the less certainty we have,” he added.

Ben Richgruber, executive director of the Eau Claire Regional Arts Council, said a new arts facility is necessary because the vaudeville-era State Theatre needs between $6 million and $8 million in renovations, and even then it would still be physically incapable of handling many modern touring productions. He noted that a new center would benefit the entire arts community: “This isn’t just going to one group, this is going to over 30 local arts organizations that use the State Theatre.”

Advocates said the Confluence Center is key to reviving the downtown, creating new jobs and tax-base growth. “Doing nothing is not an option,” said Dan Clumpner of Commonweal Development. “The trends downtown are clear. … We can’t rely on just, ‘If we do nothing, things will happen.’ ”

The meeting began with a public comment period, during which speakers were roughly divided between supporters and opponents of the Confluence Project. MaryJo Cohen, CEO of National Presto Industries, dismissed the idea that young workers make decisions about where to begin their careers based on the presence or absence of performing arts facilities. “I’m hoping that you will agree with me that the Confluence theater does nothing to attract or retain talent,” she told board members.

Retired Eau Claire County Judge Tom Barland disagreed, noting that young community entrepreneurs – such as those who recently purchased the Green Tree Inn and the former Ramada Convention Center – were investing in the downtown in part because of the possibility of the Confluence Center. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “Let this be an opportunity gained, not an opportunity lost.”