SAN ANGELO, TX — The San Angelo Independent School District Board of Trustees canvassed the votes from the Proposition A, the request of the voters to approve pursuing a $148.9 million bond to pay for facility improvements Monday evening, May 14 at the San Angelo ISD administration building. The bond election failed to approve allowing the district to borrow the money, and paying for the ensuing infrastructure projects promised, by just two votes. Board members accepted the results, 3,051 votes against to 3,049 votes in favor without comment.
After the canvassing, Board President Lanny Layman, in a private discussion with LIVE!, said he was disappointed, especially by how close the results were when the bond failed.
On Election Day May 5, the vote count that night had the bond passing by 3 votes. But after late absentee and provisional ballots were counted May 14, the results flipped, and the board accepted the outcome as the will of the people.
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Layman would not rule out proposing another bond and holding another election in the future. He said the board would discuss the idea in executive session held Monday night.
After canvassing the bond election, the board heard a budget presentation by Board Treasurer Bill Dendle. As of the end of April, the school district had spent 63 percent of its budget. As a notation of frugalness, Dendle said the district was spending less than planned. “We should be at 67 percent on spending at this time, but we’re saving a little,” he said.
The district is also collecting more money than budgeted from property tax receipts. At the end of April, the district had collected $2.5 million more than last year at the end of April. Higher property valuations and more assets on the property tax roles are the reason.
An agenda item was cancelled because the bond election failed. District CFO Jeff Bright was to talk about architectural planning to begin the process of spending $148.9 million on new buildings. “Since the bond failed, we don’t need to discuss it,” he said.
District Purchasing Director Jason Henry took most of the remaining time of the meeting. Finishing the air conditioner upgrade at San Angelo Central Freshman Campus, new air conditioners for an elementary school, fencing for campuses, and securing vestibules for several campuses were approved. Some of the smaller projects the bond would have financed will go on.
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Even though they will bring it up again in the near future, I think it speaks volumes about citizens not wanting higher taxes. There was a point in time when lower taxes was a reason that people moved to San Angelo. But that's not the case anymore, and one of many reasons why people are moving out.
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PermalinkThe preliminary vote count was 3044 FOR and 3041 Against the referendum. The final vote total was 3049 FOR and 3051 Against the referendum. The preliminary vote total was 6085. The final vote total was 6100.
There were supposedly 450 absentee ballots and 37 provisional votes yet to be counted. The disturbing part of this to me is that out of 487 possible votes only 15 additional votes were added.
I don't know about the rest of San Angelo but this smells really bad to me. We deserve a full explanation from whoever counted the votes about what happened to the 472 votes that were supposed to be out there. It's called accountability.
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PermalinkIsn't it funny that these idiots in the school system seem offended that they now have to do what I've had to do all my life, and that is to budget what can and can't be done according to the availability of what I funds I have on hand at that time..... A whole bunch of that mentality comes from being born with a silver spoon in their mouth and having everything they've got handed to them all their lives........ Truth and reality sucks in real life don't it fellers ? ? ?
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