By Louie Graves
News-Leader staff
The May 13 school election in Howard County has extra significance this year.
All Howard County voters will also see an issue for continuing the penny sales tax which was originally enacted for the construction of the new Howard Memorial Hospital. That tax will expire at the end of December when the hospital’s loan is paid off.
County Judge Brent Pinkerton has visited with groups to promote an extension of the tax with proceeds going to the county’s four incorporated cities and to the needs of non-city county residents on a per capita basis. A portion will also go to the hospital for building maintenance, and to Developing Howard County, the economic development group working to replace jobs lost by the closure of Husqvarna.
“This is not a new tax,” Judge Pinkerton has emphasized.
He has said that county income could go for needed road and bridge work. The cities — Nashville, Dierks, Mineral Springs and Tollette — will decide for themselves how they want their portions to be used.
Early voting will be May 6-12 across the state.
In Howard County, early voting will be at the Carter Day Training Center in Nashville from 8-4:30.
There are some races for Howard County and nearby school board seats.
Nashville School Board
Three candidates have filed for two openings on the Nashville School Board.
Anthony Whitmore is unopposed for the seat for Zone 5; while incumbent Tem Gunter and D.J.
Hibberd have filed for the seat for Zone 2.
Dierks School Board
Two candidates filed for the at-large representative on the Dierks School Board — incumbent Jared Tipton and Phillip Glasgow.
Mineral Springs School
There are two seats coming vacant for the Mineral Springs School District where the incumbents are Mike Erwin and Xavier Vaughn. Erwin, a veteran member of the board, did not file for re-election and the MS board will appoint someone to fill the seat. Vaughn is unopposed.
Blevins School Board
For the Blevins School District three candidates are unopposed for seats on the board. The candidates are Kimberly Cole, incumbent for Zone 2; Cindy Parks, Zone 4; and James West, incumbent for Zone 5. Parks and West had been appointed to fill vacant seats.
Early voting will be May 6-12 across the state. In Howard County early voting will be at the Carter Day Training Center in Nashville from 8-4:30. All early voting in Hempstead County for the Blevins School District will be at the County Clerk’s office during business hours.
Election day voting will be 7:30-7:30 at two locations in Howard County — the Carter Day Training Center in Nashville and at the Dierks Community Center.
All voting for the Blevins School District will be at the Hempstead County Clerk’s office.
