FPS to lower 2012 tax rate

The Fulton School Board will have good news for local patrons Thursday morning.

The board is scheduled to meet at 7 a.m. to revise the district's 2012 tax rate - first approved at $4.3223 per $100 assessed valuation during the board's Aug. 8 meeting.

At the time, Superintendent Jacque Cowherd advised the board that the numbers provided by the Callaway County Assessor's Office likely would need to be changed due to some computer glitches at the assessor's office. Despite that, he said the board needed to approve a rate to make sure it met the state deadline.

Cowherd said the revised numbers now are available, and the board is set to adjust the tax rate to reflect those numbers.

"The assessed valuation was actually much better than what was initially presented to us," Cowherd said. "That triggered some other calculations, and we're going to be able to maintain the same rate as last year."

The assessed valuation went from $158.36 million as presented on Aug. 8 to $167.58 million. Rather than the approximately $5 million drop originally calculated, the valuation in fact went up nearly $4 million from $163.64 million in 2011.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.