ICE purchase of prison raises tax questions

Well, it seems like the news about the empty prison over in Appleton is still making the rounds. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has purchased the facility to use for immigration detention. That has a lot of people scratching their heads about what it means for our area. One of the main questions folks are asking is about the taxes. CoreCivic is expected to pay $768,566 in property taxes this year. That money is supposed to be divided up between the city, the county, and the Lac qui Parle Valley School District. I know many of you are keeping a close watch on how this will play out for our school budget and local coffers. It is a big change for a building that has been sitting empty for quite a while. I imagine we will be hearing plenty more about this as the year goes on. Here is where to see it for yourself: check out the report from the LQP Google Alert.