RBC I The 2015 election season will quickly be wrapped up in Meeker, Rangely and Rio Blanco County with ballots due to the county clerk’s office by 7 p.m. Tuesday.
While issues on this year’s Rio Blanco County ballot are few, featuring only one statewide initiative, the Rangely and Meeker communities have school board elections and Rangely has a school-funding tax override vote.
In Rangely there is an election for three open positions on the Rangely School Board with four candidates vying for those seats. Incumbents Leslie Nielsen, Kurt Douglas and Joyce Key are seeking re-election while Bart Nielsen is the sole challenger. Voters will be asked to choose up to three candidates for the board.
Three of the existing Meeker School Board members are also running for re-election.
Incumbents Tom Allen and Kurt Blunt are joined on the ballot by Scott Aldridge, Kevin Amack, Bob Dorsett and George Henderson to fill three four-year terms on the Meeker board.
Mindy Burke, the third Meeker incumbent running, is on the ballot for the vacant two-year term along with Richard Brooks and David Smith.
In addition to the school board seats, the Rangely School District is also seeking an increase in mill levy taxes to fund the school. If passed, the mill levy would increase annual property taxes at a rate of $15.34 for a $200,000 home and $55.87 for a $200,000 commercial property, raising an additional $429,935 for the district.
Rangely School Superintendent Matt Scoggins said the goal is to help fill the funding void left by the state, which has significantly cut funding to Rangely schools in the last five years.
The only statewide issue on the ballot is Proposition BB, which, if approved, will allow the state to retain and spend the estimated roughly $40 million in excess funds that have been collected in marijuana taxes.
Currently, the state is required to refund the excess money to taxpayers. If Proposition BB passes, Rio Blanco County Clerk Boots Campbell said, the state will spend the excess $40 million on school construction and various programs including marijuana education and prevention, anti-bullying programs in schools, youth mentoring programs, poison control centers, State Fair improvement and DUI training for police officers.
Should the proposition fail, the state will refund the money to Colorado residents in their 2015 tax returns in amounts ranging from $6 to $8, Campbell said.
Ballots must be received by the county clerk’s office no later than 7 p.m. Tuesday in order to be counted.
Campbell said that persons who wish to turn in their ballots to the county clerk’s office may do so in Meeker: from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday as well as from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday.
In Rangely, ballots may be dropped off from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today and Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
