Question 1 of school referendum passes
According to unofficial results from the Walworth County Clerk’s Office, the City of Elkhorn Common Council will have a new face in the aldermanic District 2 seat.
Political newcomer Michael Kluck garnered 151 votes, or about 64 percent of voters in the Elkhorn’s District 2. Incumbent Gary Payson, Sr., mustered up 86 votes, or about 36 percent of the vote.
Both aldermen Hoss Rehberg and Tom Myrin will retain their seats in aldermanic districts 1 and 5.
School district referendum
As for the Elkhorn Area School District’s two-question referendum, voters were in favor of Question 1 – which called for $20.42 million to focus on safety and maintenance improvements at district schools – with 1,997 of the 3182, or about 63 percent of voters voting yes.
Question 2 however, which called for $4.73 million for a new athletic and multi-use space at the high school, was not approved by voters, though came close with about 49 percent of voters in favor of the addition.
Elkhorn Area School District Administrator Jason Tadlock shared the following message after the posting of Tuesday’s unofficial election results:
“Dear Elkhorn Community,
“On behalf of the Elkhorn Area School District and Board of Education, the administration, and staff, would like to take this opportunity to thank the citizens of Elkhorn for the successful approval of Question # 1 of the two referendum questions. Question #1 passed with 62.8% of the people supporting the initiatives. Question #2 also had strong support, but it just fell short with 49.4% supporting and 50.6% opposing. The Elkhorn community has always been incredibly supportive of our schools and we do not take that support for granted. We are incredibly grateful that our community has given us the opportunity to expand opportunities for our students.
“To the members of the Facility Advisory Committee, Booster Club, PTA’s, students, parents and community members, thank you for all your time and efforts. We couldn’t have done it without you!
“The next several months will be busy with bidding, design work and construction. The order of the projects will be determined during the planning phase and will factor in efficiencies, and provide the least disruption to students and school schedules.
“I know there will be many questions in regards to the items asked for in question number two. We will need to regroup and have discussions as to how best to meet the needs outlined in question number two.
“We will continue to provide updates as information is available.
“Thank you for all you support!”
For further election coverage, see this week’s issue of the Elkhorn Independent.
