Cedar Rapids school board may double physical plant levy to improve facilities

Administrators in the Cedar Rapids Community School District had a message for school board members on Monday: it's time to play catch-up.

Executive Director of Business Services Steve Graham and Rob Kleinsmith, buildings and grounds manager, presented options for funding either a $5 million or an $8.5 million enhanced operations and maintenance plan designed to improve the district buildings and vehicles.

Dollars for those plans would come from potentially increasing the district's Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, which expires on June 30, 2015 after a 10-year term. Graham discussed raising the rate from 67 cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation to something closer to the $1.34 per $1,000 maximum allowed by law. Doubling the levy rate would generate an additional $6.92 million annually for the district to spend on roofing, parking lots, playgrounds and other concerns.

"We would do a better job of our operations and management than we are currently doing," Graham said. "While it goes a long way to improving where we're at currently it doesn't currently fill all of the needs."

The enhanced plan includes all the $5 million plan's activity along with attention to district buses and anticipatory fixes for equipment and facilities, such as locker replacements at Wright and Erskine elementary schools and Jefferson High School or new gym bleachers and auditorium seating at Taft Middle School.

“Basically what we're doing there is we're reacting to the need," Kleinsmith said about the $5 million blueprint. "The real difference is, when we go to the $8.5 million plan, we include everything in the $5 million plan plus we go after proactive maintenance."

Graham also introduced the idea of using an income surtax to supplement levy funding. At the current rate, the district could implement up to a 2 percent tax. If board members doubled the levy, the income surtax could rise as high as 5 percent.

District residents could see this on a ballot as soon as Tuesday, Sept. 10, a date also marked for the next school board election. Having the votes at the same time traditionally "has been met with a lot of natural support," Graham said.

He presented Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014 and Tuesday, April 10, 2014 as potential special election dates.

"If we don't take those opportunities, we really miss our target," Graham said. "Timing is of the essence."