A small group of STC administrators, board members, staff and district residents gathered at the Tama Civic Center last Thursday night for the first of four open forums on the upcoming vote to reinstate the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL). PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY

The light attendance for Thursday night’s gathering at the Tama Civic Center to discuss the South Tama County school district’s upcoming Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) could be attributed to a few factors — a general lack of awareness or the fact that Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark was in the process of breaking the NCAA scoring record during the same time frame. Nevertheless, those who did make it out had a chance to learn more about what reinstating the levy would mean for STC in the long term and, of course, how it would affect their property taxes.

Superintendent John Cain led the discussion with some help from the district’s business manager Katie Mathern, facilities director Steve McAdoo, two board members and other staff along with the lone member of the general public who showed up, Kellie Carolan. As Mathern explained, the district, which has not had a voter-approved PPEL in a decade and is one of only 49 in Iowa that doesn’t, is asking for $1 per $1,000 of valuation as allowed by law to supplement the $0.33 board approved PPEL. The plan is to make reductions in other areas to keep the overall levy in line with where it is currently, $14.49805 per $1,000 of valuation.

As previously reported, PPEL is designated for technology, transportation, facilities and safety and security improvements, and Cain has cited a desire to grow and expand the district’s vocational agriculture offerings as a major goal he feels the levy could help to achieve as well as improving the aging high school building with a focus on HVAC. Throughout the presentation, pre-recorded videos from district staff including McAdoo, Activities Director Chelsea Ahrens, School Resource Officer Vern Jefferson and others were shown to illustrate the needs across STC’s three primary buildings.

“Just really all it’s really doing is helping us get a little more money for upkeep on our facilities as they come up,” McAdoo said. “Instead of taking out of the general fund or something, we can take out of that pot.”

A common theme from the school district staff and board members was the idea of getting ahead on facilities rather than simply getting by and doing the bare minimum. Before playing a video featuring Jefferson, Cain said school safety was more relevant than ever in light of recent events in Perry, and it’s something districts simply “have to prepare for” whether they want to or not. Some of the proposed safety improvements PPEL could fund include replacing old doors and adding more cameras at the high school.

STC Business Manager Katie Mathern gave a presentation during the event on how the district could generate revenue for facilities, security and technology through PPEL without raising the overall levy rate. PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY

Mathern explained that PPEL could generate over $400,000 a year for STC, and the plan is to move money around to avoid raising the overall property tax levy. The vote, if approved by a simple majority, would put the levy into effect for 10 years before it could be renewed again. Carolan asked how the levy could change with different board members coming on, but Mathern reminded her that every year’s budget is subject to a public hearing with district residents invited to make comments.

In wrapping up, Cain acknowledged that it’s never easy to ask voters for a new levy but also felt confident about the people he works with at STC being as responsible as they can.

“As a group, we’re very conscious of the community we live in. We’re very aware of the economy within our state, and we will do our due diligence to manage the taxpayer’s money,” he said.

Board President Elizabeth Dolezal also noted that top priorities — must fix items — would rise to the top of the list, while others would be put more on the back burner if they were designated wants or desires.

The public PPEL meetings aren’t over yet as the district hosted another event in the elementary school cafeteria on Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. The final two will be held Sunday, Feb. 25 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the high school and Wednesday, Feb. 28 at the State Bank of Toledo from 7 to 8 a.m.