STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Blaine County residents have their work cut out for them on Election Day Tuesday.

There’s a lot to vote for across the board from Bellevue to Ketchum, where the ballot sports 12 city council candidates provided the city manager-council form of government measure passes and 11 if not.

Even county residents, who often have little to vote for can say “Yay” or “Nay” on ballot measures regarding local schools and the local recreation district.

Here’s a quick look at what’s on the ballot:

BLAINE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET LEVY

The school district is asking voters to approve a supplemental budget levy that would raise $3.85 million per year for the next two years to fund special education, preschool, full-day kindergarten, school resource officers and cybersecurity.

The previous supplementary levy totals about $2 million; School Superintendent Jim Foudy said the new one is need because the school district is dealing with declining enrollment, which means less state funding. The new levy, if approved, would cost the taxpayer $16.33 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value, per year.

BLAINE COUNTY RECREATION DISTRICT LEVY

The BCRD is proposing to nearly triple the tax on $100,000 of assessed property value from $7.81 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value annually to $21.15 per $100,000. The current levy has been in place since 1976; the new one would boost revenues by $3 million annually.

BCRD officials maintain that the additional money is necessary to maintain trails, equipment and pay for staff at a time that demand for programming is increasing. Director Mark Davidson has said increased revenues would allow the BCRD to extend the bike path to Gannett, add drinking fountains, bathrooms and better parking lots at trailheads and better tie-ins from the west side of the highway to the Wood River Trail.

THE BCRD would work with the school district to develop a sports field at mouth of Quigley, possibly put in a baseball complex at Flying Hat Ranch, do upgrades to Galena Lodge, provide a summer building for the Quigley Trails Park and build a facility to store snow grooming and other equipment.

CITY of SUN VALLEY

LOT TAX

The Sun Valley City Council is asking residents to renew the city’s current Local Option Tax on lodging, restaurant food and beverage, retail sales and ski lift tickets. This fiscal year’s LOT collection raised $2.78 million for road and path maintenance and police and firefighters. There would be no change to current rates.

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES (two seats up for election):

….Mike Burchmore, Blaine County Education Foundation co-chair and more; appointed to council following resignation of former council member.

….Keith Saks, City Council member for 12 years

….Geoff Tickner, nonprofit board experience

CITY OF KETCHUM

SWITCH TO CITY MANAGER-COUNCIL GOVERNMENT

Voters will be asked if they want to switch from the current mayor-council form of government to city manager-council form of government similar to that which many ski communities in Colorado and Utah and more than 61 percent of towns and cities across America have.

The city manager-council form boosts cost savings and efficiency, according to some studies, while eliminating the partisanship that colors some mayoral elections.

KETCHUM MAYOR

….Pete Prekeges, owner of Grumpy’s

…..John Wigdale, registered nurse

KETCHUM CITY COUNCIL

…..Perry Boyle, degrees in economics and international relations

….Spencer Cordovano, current city council member

….Randy Hall, previous city council member

….Hannah Harris, on Blaine County School District Wellness Committee

…..Tripp Hutchinson, current city council member

….Kendall Kirkpatrick

….Matthew McGraw, Planning and Zoning commissioner

…..David Page, formerly with the Department of Interior

….Ed Simon, former city council member and mayor

….Tracie Smith

…..Rober Vallee, retired business executive

KETCHUM FIRE DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS

….Pete Schwartz

….Susan Scovell

….Rachel Williams

CITY OF HAILEY

LOT TAX

The City wants to increase the local option tax on rental vehicles and hotel motel occupancy from 4 percent to 6 percent.

HAILEY CITY COUNCIL (one open seat)

….Jeff Emerick, has served on boards for NAMI and The Hunger Coalition

….Sage Sauerbrey, has served three years on Hailey’s Planning and Zoning Commission

….Joel Zellers, retired teacher

CITY OF BELLEVUE

LOT TAX

The City of Bellevue wants to adopt Ordinance No. 2025-11, which would add a 1 percent non-property tax on retail sale of food by restaurants; the addition of a 2 percent non-property tax on retail sale of liquor by the drink; an increase in the non-property tax on hotel-motel occupancy from 3 percent to 6 percent; add public safety administration to the purposes for which the tax revenue may be applied and an extension of the tax from 5 years expiring in 2027 to 15 years from its effective date.

BELLEVUE MAYOR

….Christina Giordani, incumbent mayor

….Suzanne Wrede, current Bellevue City council member

DID YOU KNOW?

The Hunger Coalition plans to hand out free Bloom Burritos to voters from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, on the dirt lot across from Wood River High School.