STE. GENEVIEVE — After nearly two years of long-range facility planning, discussions and feedback through the Facilities Committee, the Board of Education voted to place a no-tax increase bond referendum in the amount of $20 million on the April 5, 2022, ballot.
The name of the request will be Proposition SG. It will not increase the current debt service levy.
The purpose of Proposition SG is to fund facility needs identified through the school district’s Long-Range Facilities Plan:
If passed, the bond issue will allow for an Early Childhood addition, as well as accessibility and safety and security renovations throughout the district, and more. Specifically, the areas identified as priorities are listed below.
- Early Childhood – Build Early Childhood Center
- SGE – HVAC, ADA Accessibility, new entry and reconfigured offices & renovated gym
- SGMS – ADA Accessibility (including elevator to third floor) & HVAC
- BLE – HVAC, reconfigured entry & address the lagoon
- SGHS – Addition of a gym & new weight room
- Yanks & Leon’s Field – Lights, fencing, bleachers & restrooms
- SGHS – Restrooms
- Technology – Card readers on exterior doors
*More details on these areas of priority can be found on pages 8 and 9 of the Facilities Plan.
The ballot language will be as follows:
PROPOSITION SG
Shall the Board of Education of the Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District, Missouri, without an estimated increase in the current debt service property tax levy, borrow money in the amount of Twenty Million Dollars ($20,000,000) for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, renovating, expanding, improving, furnishing and equipping school sites, buildings and related facilities including, without limitation: a new Early Childhood Center; ADA accessibility for entryways and building levels; secure vestibule entry points; office reconfigurations and gymnasium renovation; lagoon update; weight room and practice gymnasium addition; student restroom updates; baseball and softball fields lights, bleachers and bullpen fencing installation; technology infrastructure District-wide updates; to the extent funds are available, complete other repairs and improvements to the existing facilities of the District; and issue general obligation bonds for the payment thereof? If this proposition is approved, the adjusted debt service levy of the School District is estimated to remain unchanged at $0.4400 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation of real and personal property.
Courtney Wegman with LJ Hart, the district’s finance firm, presented to the Facilities last May on the district’s current bonding capacity.
Superintendent Dr. Julie Flieg said the firm utilized a local assumed assessed valuation of $415,882,088, which doesn’t take into account LafargeHolcim coming onto the tax books (as the company is currently protesting its taxes). With an overall bonding capacity of $62,382,313, this brings the district’s total bonding capacity to $55,829,710.70. With a $20 million bond referendum, there would still be an excess bonding capacity of more than $35 million.
Dr. Flieg also pointed out that while the needs identified above are expected to be able to be completed with a $20 million bond issue, if costs should fluctuate and some projects would have to be delayed, those projects would then roll into a future bond issue.
More information about the upcoming Prop SG will be shared this month.