Millages, board races on ballot
Polls open today in four locations for the annual school election, as voters decide two millage measures and two school board races in three districts.
Voting will take place between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. at all locations.
Voters in the Cutter Morning Star School District will vote in the district’s multipurpose building on campus. The district seeks a millage increase of 8.4 debt service mills and a 12-year extension of 15.5 existing mills for the construction of a new high school and basketball arena to replace the current high school and gymnasium built in 1960 and 1969, respectively. Mark Rash, president of the Cutter Morning Star School Board, is unopposed for the Position 2 seat.
Voting in the Mountain Pine School District will be held in the old gymnasium at 199 Third St. The district seeks approval for 2 new debt service mills and a nine-year extension of 12.9 existing mills to build an agriculture center and a safe room on campus.
Mountain Pine School Board President Clayton Miller is running for re-election against former board member Mike Smith in Position 5. Jennifer Walker is unopposed for the final three years of the current term for Position 3.
Two polling locations will be available for the race between Lake Hamilton School Board President Mike Tucker and firsttime candidate Nicole Freeman. Voters will be able to cast their ballots at First Baptist Church of Royal, 7402 Albert Pike Road, and Piney Grove United Methodist Church, 2963 Airport Road.
Fountain Lake School Board President Greg Frank is unopposed for an at-large seat, but Frank resigned from the board on Thursday. Board Vice President Sheila Ford is unopposed for the other at-large seat in this year’s election.
The board must fill the vacancy within 30 days after Frank’s resignation. Interviews with potential candidates will be conducted in open board sessions after they submit their personal information and a letter detailing their interest in the position and their goals for the district to the Fountain Lake School District in the administration building at 4207 Park Ave.
Fountain Lake, Hot Springs, Jessieville and Lakeside only held early voting with no active millage measures or contested school board races on the ballot.
Incumbents Debbie Ugbade and Will Maffit were unopposed for their seats on the Hot Springs and Lakeside school boards. Cynthia Rogers was unopposed for Position 1 in Hot Springs and Kevin Meacham was unopposed for Position 4 in Jessieville.
Approval of Cutter Morning Star’s millage measure would result in a new investment of almost
$19.2 million, with more than $11 million from the new mills and more than $8 million from the extension, at current property values. The revenue would be directed toward $18 million in planned construction and improvement projects on campus.
Cutter Morning Star would become eligible to receive more than
$7.8 million through the state’s Academic Facilities Partnership Program. Partnership funding would provide $6.255 million for the new high school and arena, which is estimated to cost almost
$14.5 million.
Approval of the millage measure for Mountain Pine would result in a new investment of $9.6 million, with almost $3.3 million from the increase and more than
$6.3 million from the extension, at current property values. The district plans to refund all outstanding bond indebtedness, issue
$6.335 million in new bonds to mature over the next 30 years and complete the two building projects for about $2.345 million.
Mills from real estate and personal property taxes generate less revenue for Cutter Morning Star and Mountain Pine than other schools in the county at $43,831 and $54,529. Approximate revenue per mill for the other districts in Garland County is $131,366 in Jessieville, $393,015 for Fountain Lake, $426,038 for Lake Hamilton,
$454,873 for Lakeside and $594,762 for Hot Springs.
Mountain Pine has the third-lowest millage rate in Garland County at 37.9 and Cutter Morning Star has the third-highest at 40.5. State law requires all public school districts to maintain a minimum of 25 mills, known as the uniform rate of tax, dedicated to maintenance and operation.
The county’s other millage rates are Hot Springs, 42.1; Lake Hamilton, 40.6; Jessieville, 38.7; Lakeside, 37.7; and Fountain Lake,
34.8. Millage rates for other districts in the area include Poyen,
46.7; Arkadelphia, 44.85; Benton,
41.9; Bismarck, 41; Centerpoint,
41; Magnet Cove, 39.18; Malvern,
37.65; and Mount Ida, 34.