Hilldale School Bond Issue Recount Again Falls Short

A recount of votes Tuesday in Hilldale Public School's bond issue election failed to garner the 60-percent needed for passage.

The school district submitted a petition Friday to the Muskogee County Election Board to recount ballots for the district's $400,000 bond issue that was on the August 24th ballot. 

8/27/2016 Related Story: Muskogee's Hilldale School Files Petition Seeking Bond Vote Recount

Before the recount, there were 733 votes cast.  After the recount, election board secretary Kelly Beach said total votes cast in the bond issue decreased by two to 731.  

Beach says 437 votes were in favor and 294 against the proposal.  That breaks down to 59.78 percent, just shy of the 60-percent threshold.

The bond issue would have funded new buses over the next ten years for Hilldale Public Schools. 

Hilldale assistant superintendent Erik Puckett says it is back to the drawing board for the district.  He expects to the school board to look at the issue in the coming weeks, but doesn't expect a vote on a new bond issue to come until sometime early next year.