Perry County school board OKs slightly lower tax rate

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Members of the Perry County School Board approved a slightly lower property tax rate at their regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday night.

They set the rate at $3.2104 per $100 of assessed valuation, whereas last year's rate was $3.2176.

School superintendent Andrew Comstock said the current amount came at the suggestion of the state auditor's office.

In other business, board members informally gave the go-ahead for a leaking roof to be fixed over the second-grade pod on District 32's campus.

"The idea is to go ahead and get bids," Comstock said.

Although the board did not vote on the issue, members agreed the money it would take to repair the leaks would only delay a total roof replacement, which Comstock said is inevitable.

He attributed the roof leaks to heavy rains in recent days, expressing concern what might happen when winter weather begins.

The district had planned to replace the roof in 2017, but its condition has become too precarious, Comstock said.

The second-grade roof was the next on a list of facilities improvements compiled by the architecture firm Incite Design, which is at the helm of a long-term facilities plan that is expected to be finished in October.

Comstock said the roof replacement likely will cost about $50,000 -- about the same amount spent recently on replacing the roof over the first grade. That amount would have been about double without insurance, he said.

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