FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County election officials Friday certified the results of Tuesday's special elections in Prairie Grove and the Farmington School District and approved the ballot for an April 13 vote in Elkins.
The Washington County Election Commission approved the ballot for the Elkins election in which voters will be asked to approve using a 1% sales tax to refund some existing bonds and issue new ones for water and sewer improvements.
The city is asking voters to approve the issuance of up to $8.5 million in new construction bonds and to refinance $1.2 million in bonds, according to the notice of election approved by the commissioners.
Early voting for the special election will be April 6-12, during regular office hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the county clerk's office in the the courthouse. Election day voting will be 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Elkins Community Center, 162 Doolin Drive.
The commission also certified the results of Tuesday's special elections after adding one ballot in the Farmington School District vote.
Jennifer Price, the county's election director, said there was a single provisional ballot cast in that election because there was a question about the residence of a voter. Initial information from county voter records showed the person lived in the Fayetteville School District, Price said, but when the address was checked it was found to be in the Farmington district and the vote was counted.
Price said the inclusion of the provisional ballot added one more vote for the Farmington proposal, which restructures the district's property tax millage to pay for construction bonds. The district is planning expansion projects costing $6.5 million to $7.5 million at the junior high school and two elementary schools. The final, official result shows 123 votes in favor of the proposal and 29 against.
The Prairie Grove election results remained unchanged, Price said. Voters there approved a proposal to refinance some existing construction bonds and issue new bonds of up to $18.3 million for several city projects, including water and sewer improvements, street and drainage work, parks and other improvements.