Wentzville School Board Approves Tax Rate, High School Master Plan

At Thursday night’s meeting, the board voted to set the tax rate at $4.9891 per $100 assessed valuation.

The new tax rate is a 40.19-cent increase from the last fiscal year. That rate is composed of the $3.9191 tax ceiling plus the 30-cent tax increase voters approved this past April.

In a memo to the board, Chief Financial Officer Kari Monsees said have gone down by about $55 million. In order for the board to keep its budgeted revenue, the board must increase the tax rate.

Though most board members voted in favor of the tax rate, Courtney Tieman voted against the measure. Tieman said the district should consider tightening the budget instead of putting a larger burden on taxpayers.

“When our we going to feel the effects of the economy like everyone else is,” Tieman said.

Board President Terry Ratcliff said because property values have decreased, the average homeowner in should be paying about the same dollar amount as last year.

Architects Reveal Master Concept Plan for New High School

Hoener Associates, Inc. Architects presented their recommended site plan for the new high school.

The is about 80 acres and should accommodate at least 1,600 students.

Monsees said not all of the items on the plan will be constructed, but Hoener wanted to make a plan that allowed for growth.

“The intent of this plan is to get the entire layout of the site, even though some of this will be future planning,” Monsees said.

The school buildings and ball fields will be built around a few drainage ways. One of which almost divides the site plan in half.

The Army Corps of Engineers told Hoener Associates the district would have to find a way to prevent the drainage ways from being impaired by the site. The developers plan to place plants near the drainage area to prevent erosion.

The new school will be surrounded by residential neighborhoods. Bax Engineering President Cliff Heitmann said the team has tried to put most of the brightly lit sports arenas near the center of the site.

Heitmann also said they also plan to keep the tree line bordering most of the surrounding residential areas.