Silver Consolidated Schools Board of Education President Ashley Montenegro, left, Associate Superintendent Louis Alvarez and Superintendent William Hawkins look over printouts of the results of the special bond election Tuesday night at the Grant County clerk’s office.
A $24 million general obligation bond for the Silver Consolidated School District was approved by voters, but the capital improvements bond failed by a narrow margin, according to unofficial results announced Tuesday night by the Grant County Clerk’s Office.
The GO bond received a total of 2,134 votes in favor and 1,817 against in the all-mail-in special election. The Public School Capital Improvements Act, also known as the 2-mill levy or SB9 funds, failed, with 1,774 voters against it and 1,707 voting in favor.
Results were announced about 7:40 p.m., after votes had been tallied following the 7 p.m. closing time for the county clerk to accept ballots.
The failure of the capital bond, which would have been a continuation of an existing bond and would not have raised property taxes, led Silver Schools Board of Education President Ashley Montenegro to speculate that some voters had not seen that the front and back of the ballot each contained a separate question.
The total number of votes cast in the GO bond question was 3,951, versus a total of 3,481 cast in the 2-mill question.
“We’ll take it,” Montenegro said of the split. “It’s easier to get this passed in the future, I think,” she said of the 2-mill question.
That question can also be placed on the ballot in the 2025 general election, County Clerk Marisa Castrillo said.
The participation in this election was higher than Grant County has seen on recent mail-in elections, Castrillo said. A total of 12,597 ballots were sent to voters registered within the Silver District boundaries.
“Traditionally, before, all mail-out ballots, we would get 500 back,” she said. “Even though it doesn’t look like it, the number is great. It was a good turnout.”
The GO bond was the important win, Montenegro said.
“It still gives us the money we need to get the state match in the next two years,” she said.
The GO bond will increase the district’s levy on property taxes by 4.1 mills, which should get the total mill levy to or over 10 mills. By meeting that threshold, the district can apply for a greater share of matching funds for capital projects from the state, potentially providing another $14.4 million in addition to what the bond raises.
That should provide the district with about $39 million in a four-year bond cycle, moving the district forward on meeting its $62.6 million in deferred maintenance.
“I am incredibly appreciative of the community of Grant County, Silver City, parents, the community coming out, recognizing the needs for the students, for the schools and stepping up in a big way,” Superintendent William Hawkins said.
—JUNO OGLE
