Primghar, Iowa — The news was not what supporters of the $16.5-million Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn school construction and renovation project wanted to hear.
In a recent election, the measure fell just 7 votes short, prompting a recount, which was held Wednesday at the O’Brien County Auditor’s Office in Primghar. But unfortunately for the supporters, the vote totals did not change, and the measure still fell short of the 60 percent supermajority needed for it to pass. A machine method of recounting the votes was selected.
KIWA talked to O’Brien County Auditor Barb Rohwer, who says that one additional Absentee Ballot was received the morning after the election, and it was a “no” vote, which was added to the vote totals. The final total was 904 yes votes, and 615 no votes, for a vote total of 1,519, and those were the very same totals discovered in the recount.
The HMS School Board has considered closing a building and consolidating students into the remaining two buildings, but no decisions have been made as to what that would look like, or if another bond issue election will be attempted.
