The April 7 election looks at municipal boards, school boards, and ballot questions affecting citizens in their respective municipalities and the county. [Patrick Semansky/AP]

The ballot for the April 7 is finalized and the various county and local races are set.

Two seats are open on the Mexico City Council with five candidates. Incumbent Ayanna Shivers is seeking re-election. Steve Haag, Joshua Price, Thomas Hugo and James Oxford also seek seats. Price ran for a council seat in the 2019 election, while Oxford previously sought a seat on the Mexico Board of Education in 2019.

Mexico also has a local use tax question on the ballot. The use tax will match the local sales tax rate, currently 2%, and will only be applied to purchases from out-of-state vendors. The use tax rate will adjust the same as the sales tax rate.

“The purpose of the proposal is to eliminate the current sales tax advantage non-Missouri vendors have over Missouri vendors,” the ballot language reads.

A “yes” vote will allow the city of Mexico to collect the use tax, while a “no” vote, will not. Missouri collects the use tax but cannot disburse it to Mexico without voter approval. The additional revenue from the use tax will go toward paying for the Fairground Pool replacement.

Three seats on the Mexico school board are open. Incumbents Dustin Pasco and Kellie Teel are seeking re-election. Lisa Ovaitt and Todd Yager also seek a seat. Member Brian Rowe is not seeking re-election.

Audrain County, Vandalia and Martinsburg also have local use tax questions on the ballot. The use tax rate will match the respective sales tax rates of 1.75%, 1.5% and 1.5%. Like with the Mexico ballot question, the state collects the use tax but cannot disburse without voter approval. The use tax rate will adjust the same as the sales tax rate.

Other county ballot questions and races

Vandalia

Vandalia Special Road District seeks to continue to levy an additional tax rate of 35 cents per $100 assessed valuation on personal and real estate property for the next four years.

The Van-Far R-1 School District seeks a no tax increase $1.5 million bond for improvements at district facilities, including an elementary school parking lot, high school restroom renovations, athletic facility upgrades and HVAC improvements pending fund availability.

Voters will choose between Larry Wheeler, Justin Hopke, Jessica L. Reading and Kevin R. Motley for three open seats on the Van-Far Board of Education.

Herman Wright is running for a commissioner position for the Vandalia Special Road District. Ralph G. Kuda Jr. is seeking a two-year term as mayor, Larry J. Shaw is seeking a two-year term as Ward 1 alderman, Janet Turner is seeking a two-year term as a Ward 2 alderman, and John Weiser and Linda S. Wilson are seeking the Ward 3 Alderman two-year term.

Farber

Farber has two ballot questions. Voters will decide if liquor containing more than 5% alcohol by weight will be sold at retail businesses by the drink within city limits. Residents can purchase a full bottle of alcohol, but cannot buy an individual drink currently. They also will decide whether or not to approve a one-half of 1% sales tax to provide operating revenue for the Farber Fire Department.

Ruth Etta Williams and Lynn A. Flowers are seeking two-year alderman terms, while Tony Shade is seeking a one-year alderman term.

Laddonia

Voters in Laddonia will decide whether to start moving all money above $25,000 in the police fund to the general fund starting with the fiscal year ending June 30. The police fund will remain at $25,000, with any excess going to the general fund.

Gary Garnett and Amber Snyder are seeking two-year terms on the board of aldermen.

Jon Robnett, Greg Fort, Debbie Carline and Stephen Schafer are seeking the three open seats on the Community R-6 Board of Education.

Martinsburg

Joshua Graver is seeking a Ward 1 alderman seat for a two-year term. A Ward 2 alderman seat is open but has no candidate.

Benton City

Voters in Benton City will decide whether to approve $500,000 in revenue bonds to update the community’s sewage system. Bond repayment will come from revenue derived by the sewage system operation, including future extension and improvement.

Lois Hays, Diana Holguin and Frank Winn are seeking two-year trustee positions for Benton City.

Vandiver Village

Teddy Joe Wieberg, Paul Nixon, and Kathleen Gronauer seek two open trustee positions for two-year terms.

Other school district questions and races

Jessica A. Chase, Kerry Burke, Scott Ball, Jamie Ebbesmeyer, Tyler Webb and Jason J. Chapman seek three open seats on the Paris R-2 School Board for three-year terms. Sandra L. Lavy is seeking a two-year term.

Jamie Hill, Ann Schmidt, Rebecca P. Wall, Kendall E. Pipes, and Timothy Safranski are seeking three open seats on the North Callaway R-1 School District board for three-year terms.

Kelly Hawkings, Jared Auck, Shannon Dawson and Charles F. Lawson are seeking three open seats on the Centralia R-6 board for three-year terms. Bethany Brook Stone is seeking a one-year unexpired term.

Heather Dougherty, Misty Doss and Freedom Pollard are seeking a three-year term to the Sturgeon R-V School District board.

Voters in the Sturgeon R-V district also will decide a no tax increase $3.5 million bond to implement safety and security updates district-wide, replace HVAC systems, tuck point buildings, construct a new multipurpose facility for vocational agriculture and weight training, expand and resurface parking lots pending fund availability, complete technology upgrades and other facility repairs.

nav-oc Naviga Writer 2020-03-02T18:16:01Z false yes NEWS The Mexico Ledger