Pocahontas School District seeks 2.95‑mill levy to fund school building upgrades

An agency official for the Pocahontas School District urged residents to approve a 2.95-mill property tax increase ahead of the upcoming election, saying the revenue would pay for safer, modern classrooms and building repairs across the district.

"We're doing great things at Pocahontas High School. But our building, well, let's say it's vintage," the official said, arguing that the district's facilities need upgrades to serve students for the next 20 years. The speaker said the proposed levy "isn't for fancy equipment or for more space than we need — just safe, modern classrooms and enough space for us to learn and thrive."

The official gave concrete examples of the tax impact underlying the request. "This means that if your house is worth $200,000, your property taxes would go up by about $10 a month," they said, and added that recent increases to the homestead tax credit could reduce the net effect for eligible homeowners. The official also addressed agricultural property: "Poultry farms and agricultural land are also assessed at 20% of value," and said impacts would be modest. "For example, a 25,000 sq ft Vital Farms Happy Egg Barn would pay about $250 more a year. A broiler or pullet barn of the same size, about half that. And for farmland, increases could be as small as 7 cents an acre or up to 57 cents per acre for the most fertile ground," they said.

The official framed the levy as a community investment. "It's a small contribution to help build facilities all students can use, whether they live on Main Street or a mile down a gravel road," the official said, adding that the choice for voters was between "keep[ing] patching things and hoping for the best" or building facilities "ready for the next 20 years." The speaker closed with a reminder to vote: "Election day is coming. You've got the choice and the power to shape our school's future. Because when you invest in education, you invest in Pocahontas."

There was no formal motion or vote recorded in the transcript: the recording captures a voter outreach message explaining a proposed 2.95-mill increase and its estimated local impacts. The district did not provide additional budget line-items, implementation schedule, or a specific election date in the recorded remarks.