Schools

Pattonville Will Ask For Tax Hike In November

If approved, it would mark the first increase in the district's operational tax levy since the early 1990s.

Pattonville school board members voted in special session Monday night to authorize the district to ask voters for an operational tax levy increase in November. 

The hike amounts to $0.9972 per $100 of property's assessed value, according to a news release late Monday night.

The statement added that "the increase for residential homeowners is limited to a 35-cent increase for as many years as possible. The cost of a 35-cent increase on a home valued at $125,000 would be $6.85 per month or $82.20 per year."

The district faced a deadline of this week to submit ballot language to county election officials. The move comes as Pattonville stares at a $10 million budget deficit in the coming year.

Administrators say proposing an operational tax levy hike is necessary in light of what would be a $10 million hole that could require what a district presentation called "massive" cuts, including as many as 100 layoffs, indefinite salary freezes and ending transportation within three miles of schools.

District officials point to a loss of more than $34 million in revenue over the past decade when adding up the impact of everything from the expansion at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport to Hollywood Casino's potential tax appeal.

"This tax rate increase is not about adding programs or staff," said Pattonville Superintendent, Dr. Mike Fulton, in the district statement. "It's about protecting the quality of the academic programs we offer for students."

If approved, it would mark the first increase in the district's operational tax levy since the early 1990s. Voters in 2010 approved a zero-tax increase bond to renovate and build district athletic facilities.


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