The Rolla Board of Education reversed course Thursday and unanimously voted to present voters with a no-tax increase, $8.3 million bond issue in April, not the $9.2 million bond approved at its previous meeting.
“It would be my recommendation, instead of doing the $9.2 million bond, which would probably be about a $0.03 tax increase, we back up and do the $8.3 million bond issue,” said Superintendent Dr. Jerry Giger. Residents will not be presented with a tax increase, but an extension of the current debt-service levy for another 20 years.
The plan would rely on the capital projects fund to fill the gap between the bond and the project’s estimated cost.
It may require the district to use about $900,000 from capital projects to build new science classrooms at the High School, a new cafeteria at the Junior High and four new classrooms at the Middle School the board already approved.
Citing $800,000 of contingency costs factored in by Mark Reuther, principal of Hoener Associates Inc., Giger stressed there are substantial funds in capital projects to cover the difference.
“Just like we did at the elementary school projects, we used money we had in our capital projects fund in order to make up the difference,” Giger said.
