Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Voters Pass Millage Hike

Property owners in Gurdon will be paying more next year, as the 3 mill increase passed Tuesday, Sept. 15.

However, it was a close vote with the millage issue passing by a scant 24 votes. This boosts the millage for Gurdon's School District to 36 mill.

While the millage passed, the Gurdon School Board will be looking for a new president next month. Charles Ledbetter, who has been the board's president this past year, was defeated in his bid for reelection.

With three men in the race, James "Jim" Otwell took the victory outright with 73 votes. Ledbetter was next with 46, with Mike King drawing 19 votes.

By getting more than 50 percent of the ballots, Otwell is the winner and will replace Ledbetter on the board.

In the only other school board race for the district, Tommy Overbee held onto his seat with a 37-31 win against Wanda G. Coon.

The final tally for the millage issue was 359 favoring the increase and 335 opposing it.

Initially, the ballots were counted locally at the First United Methodist Church, before being taken to Arkadelphia where the official count would be made.

The local results showed the millage passing 354-309, but didn't include the absentee ballots.

The local showing also had Otwell winning against King and Ledbetter.

"I feel like I lost my best friend," said Gurdon Superintendent Bobby Smithson upon learning of Ledbetter's defeat. "I could always depend on him."

Smithson said Ledbetter would always ask those with problems if they had gone through the proper channels instead of taking them on himself.

However, he was pleased with the millage issue passing as it will now allow the district to renovate Gurdon Primary School, build a new physical education building with two more classrooms for the Cabe Middle School and construct a new football stadium and field house for the Gurdon Go-Devil football team.

Smithson will be contacting Stephen's Inc. to sell bonds for the district's planned projects so they won't be affected if proposed Amendment 4 passes in the Nov. 3 General Election and repeals the state's property taxes.

Smithson has spoken to representatives with Stephen's and was told if the bonds were sold before the Nov. 3 election, the district most likely wouldn't be affected by proposition 4.