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Cape Girardeau 63 keeps property tax levy at 4.1567 per $100; reassessment raises district valuation
Summary
At its August meeting the Cape Girardeau 63 Board of Education set the 2025 levy at 4.1567 per $100 of assessed value, holding the debt-service component steady and generating about $1 million of new operating revenue amid a reassessment year.
The Cape Girardeau 63 Board of Education on Tuesday set the districtproperty tax levy for tax year 2025 at 4.1567 per $100 of assessed valuation, keeping the debt-service portion unchanged and adopting the levy after a public hearing.
Board members heard a presentation from district staff explaining how a reassessment year and modest new construction changed the district's tax base and revenue outlook. "This is our current assessed valuation for 2025. It's 864,000,000," the district presenter said, citing the reassessment total and noting prior-year valuation of about $815,000,000.
The presenter explained the levy breakdown that the board approved: incidental (operating) levy 3.492; debt-service levy 0.6647; total 4.1567 per $100. The district said the levy will generate about $35.9 million in gross tax revenue; the presentation said total new revenue for the incidental (operating) fund is approximately $1 million after accounting for statutory limits.
Why it matters: the board emphasized the decision keeps a long-standing local commitment tied to earlier bond measures. "When we went to the voters with the $40,000,000 bond issue, we promised that we would not raise a tax levy," a board member said during discussion of levy history. Staff also noted the effect of the Hancock Amendment on how much of a valuation increase the district may capture in revenue.
Discussion and context: presenters said 2025 was a reassessment year, meaning growth in the tax base reflected both reassessments and new construction; the district reported about $10,000,000 in new construction this year. The board and staff discussed that tax increment financing (TIF) arrangements remove some assessed value from the school levy base because revenues tied to TIF projects are returned to redevelopment projects.
The board voted to adopt the levy at the meeting. Individual vote tallies were not read into the record during the roll call; the chair called for the motion, a second and the board indicated its approval.
Votes at a glance
- Consent agenda (minutes, payment of bills, adult meal prices, bus routes): approved by voice vote; individual counts not specified in the meeting record. - 2025-26 out-of-district tuition ($11,500 per student): approved; individual counts not specified. - 2025 property tax levy (total 4.1567 per $100; incidental 3.492, debt-service 0.6647, capital 0): adopted; individual counts not specified. - Adoption of MSBA-recommended policy updates (multiple student and program policies): approved; individual counts not specified.
What the board recorded: staff noted the levy will preserve the district's ability to meet debt obligations while generating a modest increase in operating revenue. The district indicated the long-term debt-service levy had been held at the current level for roughly 20 years and that underwriter recommendations supported maintaining the debt-service rate.
Looking ahead: staff said the incidental fund increase will be used for operating needs; the district will continue to monitor revenue impacts of reassessments, TIFs and state limits on revenue growth. The board did not change the capital projects or teachers' levies and flagged ongoing communication about how levy decisions interact with the district's bond strategy and fund balances.
