Ballots ready for school, special district elections

Ballots will be mailed later this week for county school and special district elections.

Sanders County Election Administrator McKenna Wallace said ballots will be mailed April 14 for the May 2 election. The election is being held by mail, so ballots will need to be mailed back by voters, or dropped in a drop box at the Sanders County election office.

Heron Park District is the only special district with an election this spring, with one four-year park commissioner term open. Jodee Goetz and Deborah Lyman have both filed as candidates for that position.

In local school districts, voters will decide both on board trustees as well as proposed levies.

At Noxon School District, residents will vote for or against technology levies for the elementary and high schools. Each ballot issue proposes an additional $15,000 per year for five years. No board positions are up for election in Noxon this year.

Plains Schools is asking voters to support an increase in the general fund of 12.903 mills, or $100,000, for maintenance and operations. If passed, the additional levy would increase taxes on a home with a market value of $100,000 by approximately $17.42, and a $200,000 home by approximately $34.84. Plains School board also has two three-year terms up for election this year, with four candidates having filed. Candidates include Amy Carey, Lana Dicken, Erika Lawyer and Steve Spurr.

Hot Springs School will also have levy and board elections this year. Three candidates are vying for two open three-year terms on the school board. Candidates include Frederick Depoe Jr., Lynette Ek and Colton Stephens. The proposed increase to the general fund would include $150,000 for general operations and maintenance, or approximately 65.6 mills. Taxes would increase approximately $88.56 on a home with a value of $100,000 and approximately $177.12 on a home with a market value of $200,000.

Dixon School District also has two positions open on its school board. Jennifer Hammond, Tyler Roragen and Birrell White are the three candidates who have filed for the two three-year positions. In Thompson Falls, Ryan Frields, Jacob Helvey and Matthew Toyias filed for the two open trustee positions. Voters in Trout Creek will choose three board members in the May 2 election. Five candidates have filed for the two three-year positions, including Donald Ekstedt, Zachary Hannum, Michael Linderman, Teena Molitor and Robert Purdy. There is also one one-year term up for election, with Bryant Eaton and Marian Stonehocker running for that board seat.

Wallace stated that some voters in the county may receive more than one ballot, due to different types of elections needing to be on different ballots. For example, voters in Trout Creek will receive a Trout Creek School Board ballot as well as a Noxon High School Levy ballot. Heron voters will receive ballots for both the Heron Park District and Noxon School Board. “The ballots should be mailed back separately in their respective signature envelopes,” Wallace said. “They are not to be mailed back in a single signature envelope, as the envelopes are election specific.”

Wallace said ballots were set to be mailed Friday, and she recommends ballots be mailed no later than April 27 to ensure they are received by election day.

As of last week, there were 9,893 registered voters in Sanders County. Voters can visit or call the county election office to verify their information, or go online to https://prodvoterportal.mt.gov. The county election office is located at 1037 W. Main St., Suite 102, across the street from the county courthouse.

For more information, go to http://www.co.sanders.mt.us or call the election office at 827-3038.

NEXT WEEK: Profiles of county school board candidates will be published in the April 20 Ledger.