Northwest Iowa — A couple of school districts and a couple of towns in our area had special elections on Tuesday.
Voters in the Harris Lake Park School District overwhelmingly approved a revenue purpose statement. 148 were in favor while 10 were opposed. District officials say the funds will help cover any uncertainties in the building project while not impacting property taxes. Voters also elected Kayla Updike to a vacancy on the school board.
Voters in the West Lyon Community School District decided whether to extend the district’s existing Physical Plant and Equipment Levy for another 10 years. The levy is approved every 10 years, with the current levy expiring in June 2025. Under this levy, the property tax is no more than 67 cents per $1,000 of the assessed valuation of property within the school district.
The district says, right now, that levy generates about $235,000 each year for the district — money that goes towards buying school buses, technology and security equipment for the district’s buildings. With 113 votes in favor and with 42 votes against, the community decided to extend the levy until 2035.
Two Sioux County towns had elections as well.
In Granville, two positions were on the ballot. Roger L. Goergen ran unopposed to fill a vacancy for Mayor of Granville. He got 81 votes and there were no write-ins, so he will be Granville’s Mayor. There was also an election to fill a vacancy on the Granville City Council. Dustin De Wild defeated Joyce Murphy, 56 to 32.
In Hospers, voters decided to change the use of the one-percent local sales and services tax. 25 people voted yes, and three people voted no. The text says zero percent will go to property tax relief, fifty percent will go for “any lawful purpose,” forty percent will go for capital improvement, five percent will go for community events, two and a half percent will go to the fire department, and the last two and a half percent will go to the ambulance/rescue program.
(With help from fellow Community First Broadcasting stations KUOO in Spirit Lake and KSOU in Sioux Center)
