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Close call for school district override tax
School’s override budget squeaks by with a 20-vote difference in results

While children play at the Williams Elementary-Middle School, teachers and administrators celebrate the passage of the Nov. 6 override election, which squeaked through by a 20 vote margin.

While children play at the Williams Elementary-Middle School, teachers and administrators celebrate the passage of the Nov. 6 override election, which squeaked through by a 20 vote margin.

It was a close call for officials with the Williams Unified School District (WUSD) Nov. 6, when they asked voters to approve a budget override for the district in the amount of $411,000 - amounting to a tax rate increase of $0.37. The budget override passed by a scant 20 votes during the Nov. 6 election.

Of the 2,255 registered voters in the Williams district, less than half returned their mail-in ballots, according to election results. A total of 814 votes were cast during the election, with 417 voting "yes" and 397 voting "no." The unofficial results, according Coconino County Recorder Candace Owens, will be made official within a week.

"While it says unofficial, it is the final results," Owens said, adding that mail-in results make the tallying process easier for totaling votes in a timely manner.

She said that voter turnout, while less than 1,000, was high compared to the last override election, held in March of 2005. In that election, according to Owens, roughly 11 percent of the registered voters participated, compared to the 36 percent that participated in the Nov. 6 override.

"I think it's higher turnout than we've normally had in school elections," Owens said.

A number of schools in the Phoenix area did not fare as well when it came to their override elections, according to election results, with a large number of voters turning down the request.

WUSD superintendent Tom McCraley said he was glad to see the override make it past voters, particularly when a number of overrides in the state of Arizona did not fare as well with voters. He said some of the issues facing Phoenix voters may also be affecting individuals in Williams, such as a high cost of living and a marked downswing in the economy.

"That might be some of the reason," McCraley said, adding that the override will help school officials continue in a positive direction.

"We're really appreciative of the voters approving the continuation. That will certainly help us as we move forward as a school district," McCraley said. "We had some good support in the community and certainly the Williams Education Association, with their committee, did a lot to assist us."

Voters were sent postcards in August of this year that served as advance notification on the override election. Official voting ballots were mailed by Oct. 16. To be eligible to vote in the election, voters had to live within the boundaries of the Williams school district. Unlike most budget override elections, which ask for a five-year term, this year's override sought a seven-year term.

Money for the override pays roughly 10 percent of the school district's maintenance and operation (M and O) budget and includes pay for employees, transportation and various educational programs. Special Education is also included in the M and O budget.

A number of programs would have been cut should the override have failed to meet voter approval, officials with WUSD said, though funding from the last override five years ago is expected to remain in effect until the end of this year. Had the override not been approved, the WUSD would have been cut by roughly a third of its normal operating expenditures. Cuts would have included the loss of school administrators, salary cuts and other budget decreases.


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