RBC I The Meeker Board of Education will take on a new look, the Rangely School Board will remain the same, the mil levy tax override for added Rangely school funding failed and county voters told the state to keep its excess marijuana tax money and use it for education, law enforcement and other state needs.
In Meeker, there were six candidates running for three four-year terms and three candidates running for one two-year term. It was not a good election for incumbents as only Thomas E. Allen Jr. was able to hold his seat, tying as the top vote getter for the four-year term with Kevin Amack. Both garnered 679 votes.
With the top three being seated, the vote count was: Tom Allen with 679 votes; Kevin Amack with 679 votes; and Dr. Robert Dorsett finishing third with 611 votes. Other voting totals were: incumbent Kurt Blunt fourth with 499 votes, Scott Aldridge with 403 votes and George Henderson with 227.
For the one two-year term, challenger David W. Smith far out-polled incumbent Mindy Burke by a 669-318 vote margin, and coming in third was challenger Richard Brooks with 134 votes.
In Rangely, incumbents Joyce Key, Kurt Douglas and Leslie Ann Nielsen held on to their seats while defeating challenger Bart A. Nielsen. Key drew 484 votes, Douglas garnered 416 votes and Leslie Ann Nielsen had 384 while edging challenger Bart A. Nielsen, who drew 379 votes.
Rangely School District’s mil levy override went down to defeat by a roughly 55.4-44.6 percent vote. There were 330 voters in favor of the tax override to raise funds for the school district, and there were 410 votes opposing the property tax increase.
Rio Blanco County voters agreed with voters in the remainder of Colorado, approving ballot Proposition BB, in which voters were asked to allow the State of Colorado to use excess marijuana sales tax dollars for education, law enforcement and other state needs instead of mailing $6 to $8 tax returns to businesses and individuals in the state. The county vote was 1,168-727 in favor of Proposition BB.
There were 3,587 ballots sent out by the Rio Blanco County Clerk’s Office, and 1,720 were returned by 7 p.m. on Tuesday for a voter turnout of 47.95 percent.
