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Wentzville board hears Prop O plan: no-tax-rate-increase bond would rebuild Heritage, renovate Holt and Wentzville Middle
Summary
District staff presented Prop O as a no-tax-rate-increase bond to address $309 million in assessed critical facility needs; the plan would prioritize a Heritage Elementary rebuild ($65M), Holt renovation ($65M) and Wentzville Middle work, with staff saying taxes would not increase if voters approve on Aug. 4.
District staff told the Wentzville R-IV School District board on July 23 that Prop O is a proposed 'no tax rate increase' bond aimed at addressing critical facility needs identified in a recent comprehensive assessment.
"Prop O is a 0 tax rate increase bond," said Brian, the district presenter, summarizing the proposal and the facilities assessment that flagged $309,000,000 in needs across district buildings. He said the assessment examined building age, HVAC, electrical systems, roofing, windows, insulation and accessibility issues.
Staff described a phased approach that would let the district sequence work over a roughly four-year bond window with many projects completeable in about three years. The presentation listed a proposed Heritage Elementary rebuild at $65,000,000, a Holt renovation at $65,000,000, a Wentzville Middle addition/renovation at $50,000,000 and roughly $5,000,000 for safety upgrades. Staff said the three listed projects together would total about $185,000,000 in an initial phase.
Brian said the Heritage facility presents multiple accessibility and safety concerns — including a 1957 wing, low ceilings, narrow hallways and limited storm-shelter capacity — and argued a rebuild is more cost-effective and efficient than renovating older wings. "It fixes all of the concerns. It's accessibility. It's electrical. It's HVAC," he said.
Staff also emphasized the district is not proposing a tax-rate increase. "Your tax rate remains the same," Brian said, explaining that bond structure was designed to avoid raising the property tax rate. He said, if voters approve Prop O on the Aug. 4 ballot, planning would begin immediately and construction could start in summer 2027 with completion milestones stretching to about 2030.
The presentation also noted enrollment trends and a planned demographic study: staff reported the district is down about 250 students this year and will commission a demographic study to better inform redistricting and long-term capacity planning. Staff said soft, temporary boundary adjustments might be used to ease overcrowding in the short term but that larger redistricting would follow completion of phase 1.
The board did not take a final vote on the bond itself during the meeting; staff encouraged the community to review the facility needs assessment and the district website for more details before the Aug. 4 election.
