ALTENBURG EASILY APPROVES TAX LEVY

ALTENBURG -- Superintendent Rick Hoffman and Altenburg school board president Albert Boettcher Jr. were both surprised by the results of a tax levy question Tuesday.

By a 167-margin, voters approved a tax levy change in the Altenburg district that will give the board more control over its finances and additional state funding dollars.

The question passed 190-23 in favor of the change.

"I was hoping it would pass or eke by," Boettcher said. "This really speaks well for the administration and superintendent. He does so much to keep the confidence up."

The district will use the voter trust wisely, Hoffman said. However, no definite plans have been made for the additional money. It will likely be set aside in a saving account for building improvements.

Under the current tax formula, the Altenburg school levy is set at $2.87 per $100 assessed valuation. With the approval of a change, the lowest it could fall is $2.75; the highest rate is $3.39.

In recent years, the school district has lost about 5 percent of its state funding money because of a quirk in Missouri's funding laws.

Under the school funding formula, Missouri only allows for a 3 percent growth rate in assessed property valuations each year. Altenburg has grown by 8 percent annually.

The school district has been forced to reduce its school tax levy based on the assessed valuations and sales tax dollars, Hoffman said.

For every 1-cent reduction in the tax levy, the school loses about $1,400 in local and state funds combined. With the change, some of that money could be recovered, he added.

Also, incumbent school board members Charles Gerler and Colleen Stevens were re-elected. Each ran unopposed.