Menu
On the ballot in April
Currently, Vernon County contains 20 townships as well as part or all of seven school, five water and one ambulance districts.
For the April 4 election, eight townships, seven municipalities, four school and two water districts will be on the ballot.
Whether because they have the same number of candidates as they do open seats or they are not making any tax changes, the other entities need not and so are not part of the upcoming election. Such a change has to be approved by voters of the particular entity and those who will be automatically elected will be listed in a separate story.
While all of the entities with open seats are listed below, the first section is devoted to those who will be part of the spring election.
Each township has one clerk, one trustee and two board members up for election. The term for each is two years.
Even though there may be an adequate number of people running for a position, the April ballot will include one or more lines for writing-in the name of additional candidates, with those votes being listed and counted in final results.
School boards
Four area school districts will be on the ballot come April 4. Each has three open seats. Only Rich Hill is having a school proposition.
Bronaugh -- Saundra Bogart, Corey Yount, Ben Bennett, Tonya Cliffman and Sheila Gooch Banes.
El Dorado Springs -- Jennifer Saderstrom, Darrell Eason, Mark Burley and Terry Shepard.
Nevada -- Jeremy Fast, Alyson Harder, Lois Pendrak and Travis Jackson.
Rich Hill -- Jerry Bolser, Slade Coonce, Timothy Covey, Joshua Entrikin, Greg Brocka, Misty Brooks and Tony Jones.
Cities and villages
The following municipalities will have candidates on the April ballot with Nevada the only one having a tax issue on the ballot.
Deerfield -- Board (2 seats): Terry Forgey, Kris Sisseck, David Prickett.
Harwood -- Board (2 seats): no candidates filed so write-ins only.
Milo -- Board (2 seats): Dean Baxter, Bob Hines, Kevin Williams.
Nevada -- Council (2 seats): -- Brian Leonard, Carol Clyde. Residents of Nevada will also decide whether to renew the one-half cent transportation sales tax for another five years. First adopted in Feb. 1997 and renewed in 2001, 2006, and 2011, these funds are used for resurfacing and construction of streets and installation and replacement of curbs and guttering.
Sheldon -- Mayor: Robert Sewell; Alderman (2 seats): Robert Moran, Bean, Lois Levaugh.
Stotesbury -- Clerk: Marvin Shelton; Village board (2 seats): no candidates filed so write-ins only.
Walker -- Alderman North: Phil Thompson; Alderman South: Mike Newman.
Water Districts
"Forty years ago, Vernon County had eight separate water districts and Barton County had three," said Nevada attorney William McCaffree. "Barton County now has one and come April, if voters in both districts approve, Vernon County would be down to four water districts."
McCaffree, representing both Consolidated Public Water Supply District #1 of Vernon County, based in Nevada and Public Water Supply District #1 of Vernon County, based in Moundville, filed a civil petition in circuit court seeking the consolidation of the two entities. On Aug. 15, this petition was granted.
"Since Consolidated District #1 has been supplying water to the Moundville district for about three years, we know their system quite well," said Sherri Simmons, General Manager of CPWSD #1.
"There are a number of costs in running a water district," continued Simmons. "Yes, once in a while we have a pipe that breaks or a pump that goes down, but what's really important is routine maintenance and that doesn't come cheap. So, from my vantage point, having more customers means we can be serious about preventative maintenance but spread the costs out, which helps to keep rates under control and that benefits everyone."
If voters in both water districts give their approval, an organizational election for the new consolidated district would be held in August 2017. Just as in the present district, so in the new one, there would be five sub-districts, each of similar geographic size.
"Aside from those operated by municipalities, this proposed consolidation would mean Vernon County would have four water districts," explained McCaffree. "Besides Consolidated District #1 based in Nevada, there's the area north of the Osage River, served by Bates County. There's the area based in Deerfield which gets its water from Fort Scott and the water district based in Milo."
Because they source or bill for their own water, voters in the municipalities of Nevada, Bronaugh, Schell City and Walker will not vote on the consolidation.
McCaffree, who has organized and represented more water districts than any other attorney in Missouri, concluded by saying, "After this, I don't see the need for any further consolidation in the foreseeable future because each of the districts I just named is doing well."
Townships
A total of eight townships will vote on a special road levy: Bacon, Badger, Blue Mound, Coal, Metz Moundville, Walker and Washington.
The following eight townships will conduct an election for the clerk, trustee and board member positions:
Bacon -- Clerk: Shellie Baer; Trustee: David Scotten; Board: Jr. Blakely, Chris Gaines, Wilbur Price, Ron Maus.
Vote on road levy.
Blue Mound -- Clerk: Alice Gayman; Trustee: Micah Gayman; Board: Richard Scotten, Brandon Garwood, Jacob Williams and Dale Ijams. Center -- Clerk: Larry Garton; Trustee: Monte Sheets; Board: Richard (Rick) Smith; David Harris; Nigel Rogers.
Deerfield -- Clerk: Jeani Longstreth; Trustee: Joe Cadle; Board: Don McCoy, Robert Walker, Greg Prough and Wesley Johnson.
Harrison -- Clerk: none filed; Trustee: Russell Rourk; Board: Thaylee McNeil-Rourke.
Lake Township -- Clerk: none filed; Trustee: Roy Claypool; Board: Scott Craig.
Richland -- Clerk: Elaine Harth; Trustee: Wayne Harth; Board: Charles Meek, Harold Phillips.
Walker -- Clerk: Phyllis Clark; Trustee: Donald Cubbage; Board: Robert Cubbage.