Bond disclaimer omitted from ballot
—Photo by KEITH KINNAIRD Absentee voters in the West Pend Oreille Fire Districy bond election will be receiving letters advising them ballot language was inadvertently omitted.
PRIEST RIVER — Absentee voters in the West Pend Oreille Fire District bond election will be receiving letters informing them that language was inadvertently left off their ballots.
Bonner County Clerk Michael Rosedale said it’s not clear why some of the ballot text was omitted when they were printed by Hart InterCivic.
“I don’t know why they left it out. It may have been to try and save room,” Rosedale said.
The omitted disclosure provides background for the $500,000 bond request to improve the district’s No. 3 station and construction of a station No. 4. It identifies the date of the Tuesday, Nov. 8 general election.
Moreover, the disclosure advises voters that the total outstanding general obligation bonded indebtedness of the district is $0, meaning the levy request will not raise taxes.
The county has obtained corrected ballots and is sending out letters to 180 voters who were eligible to vote in the election and requested absentee ballots, Rosedale said.
Those voters will be offered the opportunity to recast their ballot in light of the omitted information on their initial ballot.
Only a few of the absentee voters in the seven eligible precincts have returned their ballots so far.
“We received back a handful,” said Rosedale.
The district is seeking the funding approval in order to upgrade its station on Old Priest River Road and construct a new station on East River Road, adjacent to the county’s solid waste collection site.
The district obtained guaranteed funding for the improvements through a federal government loan. However, due to the sum involved the district is required to obtain voter approval.
The district sought voter approval for the funding in May, but the measure did not pass. District officials suspected the bond may have been confused with a levy request which was also on the primary election ballot.
The district plans to make another pass at the levy request at a later date.
“This is a technicality, but we have to get it right,” said Rosedale. “We’re making sure everybody has the opportunity to base their decision on all the information.”