The Starke County Election Board met Thursday morning to discuss a number of topics, including the Knox Community School Corporation’s request to hold a special election on May 7 in order to present a public question to its voters.
Starke County Clerk Evelyn Skronski said that the Department of Local Government Finance did not approve the referendum wording before the meeting, but the approval was received after the meeting was held. She said the DLGF approved everything with no changes, and the board also received certification from Auditor Kay Chaffins. Now, she said, the Election Board must vote on whether or not to put the question on the ballot.
After all that is said and done, Skronski said the ballot will be ready for voting by residents on May 7. Now it’s just a matter of trying to find ways to cut down on the cost, with ideas floating around such as seeking volunteer poll workers, reducing the number of voting machines since there is only one item on the ballot, and other ideas. Skronski said the volunteers could be trained to work the polls in a day, and it would save a chunk of change from the expected $10,000-12,000 expense expected for the school corporation.
The question pertains to the proposed Knox Community Elementary School building project. The Palmer Wing would be reconstructed and parts of the structure remodeled to help bring that part of the elementary school up to today’s infrastructure needs.
Skronski said the board may hold another meeting on Feb. 20, but she said it will likely be held earlier since the approval from the DLGF and the county auditor has been received.
