Voters to decide Hays USD 489 bond issue Tuesday

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

After months of planning and campaigning, the $94 million Hays USD 489 bond issue will be decided by voters Tuesday.

Early voting closed at noon Monday, after almost 10 percent of eligible voters cast advanced ballots.

According to Donna Maskus, Ellis County clerk, at the end of advanced voting, 1,448 people cast ballots out of 14,778 eligible voters.

Now that advanced voting is closed, voters will decide the outcome of the bond Tuesday at polling places open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Eligible voters will poll at one of two locations – one for qualified Hays voters and one for qualified voters from outside the city.

Hays voters will poll at the American Legion, 1305 Canterbury, and qualified voters from the district outside of the city will poll at St. Nicholas of Myra Parish, 2901 E. 13th.

Potential voters are asked to bring qualified identification in order to cast a ballot.

Ballots will have three questions: One totaling $8.9 million for new multi-purpose rooms at Hays High and Hays Middle Schools, one for $85 million to be used for deferred maintenance, classroom expansion, renovations and safety and security upgrades, and a sales tax proposal that would help fund the bond issue through a sales tax within the city of Hays.

The half-cent sales tax would only apply within the city of Hays, and if passed, would take effect next year after the expiration of a countywide sales tax that was used for county projects, including renovations at the Ellis County Courthouse and a new Emergency Services building.

The first two questions can be passed independently, but the sales tax question is contingent upon a successful bond election.

Full election results are expected Tuesday night, but will not be official until a canvas can be completed.

“Those will be official after the canvas which will be on June 13,” Maskus said.

For residents interested in the outcome – or just wanting to socialize with fellow supporters – the district has planned a watch party at the Rockwell Administration Center, 323 W. 12th St., from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.