Voters OK school bonds

May 5, 2006

By DARRELL L. BREESE

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - The phone began ringing at election central in the Mat-Su Borough Administration building in Palmer shortly after the polls closed for Tuesday's special election. Talkeetna was the first to report results, and the early news wasn't good for supporters of the $39.7 general obligation school construction and renovation bonds; 56 no votes to 47 in favor.

But things quickly changed, leading to a landslide vote in favor of the bonds. Unofficially, 5,010 votes were cast in favor and 3,489 opposed, the final count will not become official until the 2,090

questioned and absentee ballots are counted and the assembly certifies the result during a special meeting 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The bond proposition will pay for two new elementary schools, one in the Knik-Goose Bay area and one in the south Palmer/Trunk Road area. Renovation projects costing $3.5 million will pay to remodel Wasilla High, a 30-year-old school, and $2.2 million will pay for upgrading the 44-year old Wasilla Middle School.

The 8,529 votes cast equals 17.53 percent of the 48,643 registered voters in the borough, according to borough clerk Michelle McGehee.

&#8220At 17.53 percent, that's through the roof for a special election,” McGehee said. &#8220I've had regular elections that just had 20 percent voter turnout.”

By contrast, in 2002 - the last special election for reapportionment of assembly districts - the final voter turnout was a mere 3.8 percent.

In 1998, a special election for the largest bond issue in the borough - $85 million in school bonds - drew just 12.2 percent of voters. The percent of Tuesday's voter turnout will climb a few points higher after absentee and questioned ballots are counted.

&#8220From the borough's standpoint, I'm really pleased,” Borough Manager John Duffy said. &#8220Having the bonds approved really helps us address the above-average population growth, school overcrowding, and address economic development concerns. The high voter turnout is really encouraging.”

The Springer Loop precinct reported the highest turnout, with 26.66 percent of registered voters in the area casting a ballot. They were followed by 25.28 percent of Lazy Mountain voters.

Voters in the Susitna area had the lowest turnout rate, with just over 10 percent going to the polls, followed by Houston, which had 11.4 percent.

Not only was the voter turnout a high for special elections, the results were in less than an hour after the polls had closed.

&#8220Record time,” McGehee said as she entered in the final report from the 33 precincts.

Results could have been completed earlier, but a delay in getting the results from the Meadow Lakes No. 2 precinct were delayed.

The expedited returns were possible due to use of the AccuVote voting machines, which have been in use for borough elections for more than six years.

Although 1,455 absentee ballots and 635 questioned ballots remain to be counted, McGehee doesn't expect things to change too much as absentee ballots results generally follow the polls. Under the state's school debt-reimbursement program, the state will pay 70 cents on every dollar used to build the Knik-Goose Bay-area school and to upgrade both Wasilla Middle and Wasilla High schools.

The state will pay 60 cents on every dollar to build the new elementary school near south Palmer/Trunk Road, and is currently considering increasing this amount to 70 cents.

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@frontiersman.com.