Officials are trying to figure out what happens next after a ballot error appeared to keep a question of a tax increase from being voted on in Scott County.
WLDS-WEAI News received a tip that voters in the Second Road District of Scott County who went to the Alsey precinct on Tuesday didn’t get a chance to weigh in on increasing the tax rate from the present maximum rate of 0.33 percent of property value up to 0.66 percent.
The measure failed, 6-3. Road District #2 Commissioner Glen Jefferson believes there were roughly 30 votes that were missed, and he thinks if those citizens could have voted, the tax increase would have passed.
Jefferson says he collected petitions to get this issue on the ballot, because he’s trying to keep pace with other Scott County road districts.
“I just wanted to get some extra money because most of the other districts have [a tax rate of] 0.66, I’m just trying to raise money to keep up with the rest of them to get more money for better equipment,” he says.
Jefferson says the tax increase being on the March ballot was a surprise to him. He thought it would have been for an April election, or possibly the November General Election.
Jefferson says he’s not sure what happens next.
“It’s just up in the air. I don’t know if anything will happen or if I’ll have to go out and have another petition signed. I don’t know if they’ll be able to get it on the November ballot or not, but we’ll just have to wait and see,” says Jefferson. “But, something wasn’t right. I’ve had several phone calls from people saying they never seen it on the ballot.”
We reached out to County Clerk Sandra Hankins, who blamed the problem on an error by election judges. She declined to go on tape, but said she contacted the State Board of Elections, and was told to certify the results.
When asked if she would ask for a re-vote, Hankins told us, “That’s not my job to do that.” Road District Attorney Allen Yow wouldn’t say if a re-vote is one of the options being considered by the district.