The decision by the Superintendent of Schools Dr. Corbin Witt to recommend a delay in the USD 475 high school bond election from May 9th to a tentative date of August 1st meant a change of plans for the Geary County Clerk’s office…for now.

County Clerk Rebecca Bossemeyer said a variety of steps to prepare for a May 9th election had been completed or were slated to happen next week. “And so we’ve just had to stop all of those things. For instance we had our programmer coming to program that election next Tuesday and we were going to do our logic and accuracy testing because we have a requirement to get ballots out 45 days to our overseas citizens.”

The Clerk’s office worked Friday to cancel that. Also, officials at the local polling places were contacted to notify them that the facilities will not be needed for a May 9th election.

The notification from federal officials that a heavy impact aid payment is not expected to arrive in USD 475 until summer instead of this month will lead to a recommendation to the Board of Education to delay the election. With the federal funds in the bank voters could then be asked in the bond election to consider approval of a bond issue that would make the school district eligible for additional state aid to help pay for a new high school project.

The County Clerk has a plan to eventually acquire new voting equipment. As to whether it might be obtained and used in an August election, Bossemeyer was unsure at this time.