Recount likely in Nixa election
NIXA – Election results are likely to be recounted after five votes for “no” kept a sales tax proposal from passing by supermajority vote.
The Nixa City Council met the night after Tuesday’s election and voted 6-0 to start the process of requesting a recount for a ½-cent capital improvement sales tax proposal.
The ballot question gained the majority of the popular vote with a final result of “yes” votes outnumbering “no” votes 1,735 to 1,310. However, the sales tax proposal required a 57.14 percent, or four-sevenths, supermajority vote to pass. The “yes” tally fell five votes short of supermajority status.
Councilman Chris Russell made a motion for the city of Nixa to stand poised to request a recount once results are certified.
“If we incur costs, we incur costs, but I think we owe it to our citizens that have come this far. I think (a recount) is almost expected,” Russell said.
Christian County Clerk Kay Brown is scheduled to certify election results for the entire county today. After the results are certified, the city would have seven days to file a petition in the 38th Judicial Circuit requesting a recount.
City Clerk Cindy Robbins explained the procedure to the council, including the potential cost to the city.
“There would be, of course, the attorney fee to write the petition. Judge Orr would determine how many judges there would need to be, and if it’s going to be hand-counted or machine-counted,” Robbins said.
The city would be responsible for paying the recount judges, as few as four and possibly more, $10 per hour plus the cost of lunch on the day of the recount.
“In the past, Judge Orr has passed those costs on to the county,” Robbins said. “Because there is such a small margin of this not passing, it’s very possible that they could pass those costs on to the county, but we would still be out the attorney fees to file the petition and a filing fee.”
City staff members estimate the attorney fees will cost Nixa approximately $1,000.
Councilman-elect Kyle Vogel served as a recount judge in 2010 in a race for Christian County Circuit Clerk that ultimately led to Barb Stillings maintaining victory. He described the experience to the council members.
“It was way more than four votes that were off in that particular election,” Vogel said.
City Hall staff projected that the ½-cent sales tax would have generated $7.7 million over a decade. The city prepared to issue bonds to finance park construction, renovation, improvements to the U.S. 160 and Missouri 14 intersection and sidewalk projects in various Nixa neighborhoods. The bonds were to be paid off in 2025, at the same time the sales tax would expire.
Nixa 1/2-cent captial improvement sales tax election resultYes: 1,735 (56.98%)No: 1,310 (43.02%)