District 32 board approves adjusted tax rate

During Wednesday’s public hearing, Perry County School District 32 Board of Education approved its adjusted tax rate for 2023-24 at $3.3985 per $100 of assessed valuation. This includes an operating levy of $3.0631 per $100 assessed valuation and a temporary levy of $0.3354 per $100 of assessed valuation. This is an increase of $.0029, or about 3/10 of one cent, per $100 assessed valuation over last year’s rate of $3.3956 per $100 assessed valuation. The district’s approved 2023-24 tax rate is 19.26 cents less than the allowable levy of $3.5911.
The current statewide assessment rate for residential real estate property is 19%; if your home has a current market value of $100,000 and is assessed at 19%, your assessed valuation is $19,000 and your local school tax will be $3.3985 per $100, for a total of $645.72 for the current school year. Last year, the same homeowner would have paid $645.16. This is an increase of 55.6 cents for the year.
The current statewide assessment rate for agricultural real estate is 12%; if your agricultural property has a current market value of $250,000 and is assessed at 12%, your assessed valuation is $30,000 and your local school tax will be $3.3985 per $100, for a total of $1,019.55 for the current school year.
Last year, the same homeowner would have paid $1,018.68. This is an increase of 87 cents for the year.
These calculations do not take into account any increases in assessed valuation due to reassessment, which happens on Jan. 1 of odd-numbered years.
“We’ve done everything in our power to keep our local tax rate as low as possible, despite the fact that everything costs more than it did a year ago,” said Superintendent Dr. Fara Jones. “We are aware that inflation impacts the budgets of everyone in the community, not just the school’s budget.”

Dr. Jones explained that the tax rate recommendation is based on a formula calculated with information such as the local tax ceiling determined by the Missouri State Auditor, local assessed valuation of real estate and personal property. Other factors such as the Hancock Amendment, can affect the calculation as well.
Both the operating levy and temporary levy remain below the maximum allowable amounts. The maximum operating levy approved by Perry County voters for the district is $3.2411 per $100 assessed valuation. The maximum voter-approved temporary levy is $0.35, which was approved in 2017 as Prop. KIDS to allow the new primary and middle school facilities; this is a 20-year tax that will end in 2036.
The assessed valuation of real estate in the district increased from $263,083,251 in 2022-23 to $275,204,972 for 2023-24, a difference of $12.1 million. The assessed valuation of personal property in the district decreased from $123,650,633 to$120,094,432, which is $3.556 million less. The adjusted assessed valuation on which the district will receive tax revenue is $395,299,404.
If Perry County collects 100% of taxes owed, the district will receive $13,434,250 in local tax revenue, which is $302,314 more than in 2022-23, when it would have been $13,131,936 if all taxes had been collected.
Just over $95,000 of this expected increase is due to new construction and improvements, while $207,275 is new revenue based on reassessments.
For comparison, Perry County’s adjusted tax rate of $3.3956 is lower than the rates for districts in Ste. Genevieve ($3.4017), Farmington ($3.65), Jackson ($3.7998), and Cape Girardeau ($4.1567). Woodland R-IV has a lower adjusted tax rate of $2.75, Leopold R-III’s rate is $2.95, and Meadow Heights is at $3.10.