The Perry School District has been working on a lot of different things over the last year, be they building and facility improvements or large projects like the Dewey Field renovation.

One that may be more important than all of them is their work at lowering the property tax levy, though it may fly a little under the radar as it’s not something people can physically see. For the last couple years, Perry has had the highest tax levy in Iowa, and it hasn’t been particularly close. Superintendent Clark Wicks says that there are many different factors that affect a District’s tax levy, though he promises the administration and School Board are doing everything in their power to lower the $21.53 per $1,000 assessed value hit on homeowners’ property taxes.

One way that it will improve is simply through the passage of time. Wicks says the District is retiring a debt soon, as well as introducing a bond issue, which will combine to decrease the levy rate by a full $0.75 on next year’s budget. He adds, keeping the taxes low while still having them keep the District functional is a constant balancing act. “The Board is very much aware of the tax rate, I’m aware of it. We want to get that reduced, but yet keep the system moving forward. So we always have to be cognisant of balancing tax rate, and yet having great facilities so our students have what they need.”

At the moment, the bond referendum vote is slated to be held in February. Wicks says the Board is working hard to make sure they’re ready to present the issue at that time, so that construction on the new industrial technology and wrestling room facility can begin in 2019. To learn more about the latest happenings in the Perry School District, click the link below to listen to the most recent Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with Wicks.

https://raccoonvalleyradio.com/2018/11/lets-talk-dallas-county-11132018-clark-wicks/