Three separate votes, three different results.
A proposed property tax levy for Butte High School tied on election night May 7, passed by three votes when provisional ballots were counted six days later, and on Friday, failed by nine votes in a formal recount.
Three trustees for the Butte School District spent much of Friday recounting ballots and in the end there were 3,879 votes against the levy and 3,870 for it.
The initial unofficial count on election night was 3,782 in favor of the 8.46 mill levy and 3,782 opposed. The vote was 3,794 in favor and 3,791 against after provisional ballots were counted.
The district sought the $850,000 levy increase, saying it was needed for safety initiatives at the high school. The money would pay for school counselors, school resource officers, deans, mental health workers and IT staff who provide safety support.
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Butte resident Frank Boroni and 20 others signed a petition seeking a recount so under state law, the district had to conduct one. Kevin Patrick, business manager for the school district, sent the official final tally to The Montana Standard on Friday night.
Although Butte-Silver Bow election officials mailed ballots and counted them on the night of the May 7 election and later when provisional ballots were added, they conducted the election on the school district’s behalf.
That’s why trustees conducted the recount, which started at 9 a.m. Friday in the library in East Middle School and lasted into early evening.
The Butte School District also asked voters to approve a 2.46 mill levy that will raise an additional $203,801 annually to support operational costs at elementary schools. According to unofficial results, that passed with 3,907 votes in favor to 3,310 against.
The extra elementary levy will increase the property tax bill on a home valued at $100,000 by $3.32. It will be double that on a $200,000 home and triple that, or $9.96, on a $300,000 home.
The high school levy would have hiked the property tax bill on a $100,000 home by $11.43. It will be twice that amount on a $200,000 home and be triple that, or $34.28, on a home valued at $300,000.
Mike Smith is a reporter at the Montana Standard with an emphasis on government and politics.
