Growth in assessed valuation sluggish

The sedative that has kept Cape Girardeau County's assessed valuations groggy for the past two years still hasn't worn off.

Officials in the Cape Girardeau and Jackson school districts recently received estimates for this year's assessment growth, and the figures have again fallen from what they once were throughout the county.

Although the numbers are preliminary -- final figures won't be available until the end of July -- Cape Girardeau officials expect to see an overall 1 percent growth in assessed valuation, while Jackson officials anticipate a 4 percent growth.

Most troubling to Cape Girardeau County Assessor Jerry Reynolds is a continued decrease in personal property taxes, specifically on vehicles.

"It's not just us. As soon as I saw we were down for the second year in a row I started calling other counties, Boone, Cole, Jefferson. They're down too," Reynolds said. "There just hasn't been a whole lot added."

In the years leading up to 2002, Cape Girardeau and Jackson districts had averaged a 5 percent growth in assessed valuation each year. Cape Girardeau saw nearly no growth in 2002 and only a 2.3 percent increase in 2003, even though it was a reassessment year, when districts typically see much greater growth.

Jackson received the 5 percent growth administrators budgeted for last year, but it was much less than the 13 percent growth they'd anticipated.

Still, growth is growth, school officials say.

Jackson has seen more of that growth than Cape Girardeau in recent years, an inevitable occurence according to Reynolds.

"The Jackson district gets the bulk of everything going on in the country," Reynolds said. "Cape can't grow, there's not enough room."

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128