Absentee ballots are now available in the Austin Public Schools business office.

Sunday, October 24, 1999

Absentee ballots are now available in the Austin Public Schools business office.

The ballots will be available at the office in the school administration building during normal working hours until 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 1.

Voters wishing to vote as absentee are reminded they must be registered to vote, but that they can register when requesting an absentee ballot.

To register to vote, one must produce evidence of residing in the appropriate voting precinct, including a valid Minnesota driver’s license or Minnesota photo identification card with the current address.

If a potential voter does not have either of those items, any person who is currently registered to vote in the same precinct can sign a form verifying the potential voter’s residency in the precinct.

Also, if a potential voter has moved recently and not changed their driver’s license, they can use and old photo identification card and a current Austin Utilities bill showing their name and current address in the correct voting precinct.

Austin Public Schools will hold a school board election Tuesday, Nov. 2. Also, voters will decide a levy override referendum that date.

Where to vote

Anyone living in Ward I, Precinct 1, votes at Pickett Place, 808 1st Drive NW.

Anyone living in Ward 1, Precinct 2, or Mapleview, votes at Sumner Elementary School, 805 8th Ave. NW. (Use northeast door.)

Anyone living in Ward 2, Precinct 1, votes at Southgate Elementary School, 1601 19th Ave. SW. (Use north door.)

Anyone living in Ward 2, Precinct 2, votes at Banfield Elementary School, 301 17th St. SW. (Use west door.)

Anyone living in Ward 3, Precinct 1, votes at Woodson Community School, 1601 4th St. S.E. (Use east door.)

Anyone living in Ward 3, Precinct 2, votes at Ellis Middle School, 1700 4th Ave. S.E. (Use east door by tennis courts.)

Anyone living in Lansing, red rock, Udolpho or Waltham townships votes at Lansing Township Hall.

Anyone living in Newry, Oakland, London or Moscow townships votes at Austin Township Hall.

Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. November 2.

Ballot information

The ballots list school board candidates alphabetically.

There is also space for four write-in choices.

Voters will choose four candidates.

The list of Austin school board candidates includes: Lewis J. Aase, Larry W. Andersen, Carolyn Bogott, Marian J. Clennon, Kathy Green, Susan Fell Johnson, Arnold E. Lang, Bruce A. Loveland, Susan Maus, Brian W. McAlister, Sherri McCarty, Bev Nordby, David D. Solomonson, Jean E. Spenske, Bob Vilt, John A. Ulland and Sally A. Vogel.

Levy referendum

Also November 2, separate ballots will ask school district voters to decide the question of a levy override referendum.

The existing referendum revenue authorization previously approved by voters amounts to $1,289,327 and is expiring.

Voters will be asked to approve a $377,044 increase in referendum revenue, increasing the authorization to $1,289,327.

A "yes" vote on the ballot question is a vote for a property tax increase at an estimated tax rate of approximately 0.0731 percent of the referendum market value of all taxable property in the school district. The additional property tax would be levied in its first year in 2001 and be in place for 10 years.

If approved, the Austin School District would be allowed to increase its over-all spending per year for each pupil-unit by $347.82.

Approximately two-thirds of the per pupil-unit increase would come from state aids, which would be increased due to passage of the referendum.