Rural Retreat’s Emery Sage hits the ball Tuesday night against Northwood in the Region 1D championship.
Rural Retreat’s Emery Sage hits the ball Tuesday night against Northwood in the Region 1D championship.
Voters reject sales tax addition
A clear majority of Wythe County voters rejected a plan to tack on a 1 percent retail sales tax to pay for school projects.
In the final tally, more than 63 percent of Wythe voters said no to authorizing the additional sales tax, which would have expired on June 30, 2046. The revenue generated from the tax would have been used for new construction and major renovations to schools. It could not have been used for anything other than building, including salaries. Prior to the election, the Democratic and Republican parties issued a rare joint endorsement of the tax.
Wythe County leaders had envisioned using the funding to pay for $72 million in construction and renovation needs, including building a new Spiller Elementary School and making renovations to Fort Chiswell High School. Money would have also been used for athletic fields and to make repairs across the county.
Officials figured the sales tax could have generated up to $6 million annually, with nearly half of that money coming not from residents but from those passing through.
School Superintendent Dr. Russell Street responded to the vote on Facebook, saying that the $72 million in needs remain and that Supervisors and School Board members will need to "reassess priorities and consider possible next steps." He added that the school system will be working to develop its six-year plan, sharing a QR code for public input into the plan. That can be accessed at https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/5987/Wcps/f072bdc8-0df9-4b44-963e-ec1e66e94446/Comprehensive-plan-%286%29.pdf?disposition=inline.
The tax referendum suffered a similar fate wherever on the ballot in Southwest Virginia, with the exception of Radford.
Wythe voters also let their voices be heard on three constitutional amendments and on Senate and House races.
Across the 9th, voters returned Griffith to the House with 66 percent of the vote. Griffith received 193,790 votes to Powers’ 99,441. In Wythe County, voters backed Griffith by 73 perent.
Statewide, incumbent Democrat Mark Warner retained his Senate seat easily, receiving 61 percent of the vote, or 2.2 million. Republican challenger Bert Mizusawa received 1.4 million votes. Wythe County voters gave Warner 29 percent of their vote, with Mizusawa receiving 71 percent.
Wythe and Bland voters were at odds with the rest of the state on the three constitutional amendments.
On the question of amending the state constitution to protect abortion and other prenatal care Virginia voters backed the change by 62 percent. Wythe County voters picked no by 65 percent. Bland voters broke no by 76 percent.
In removing the ban on same-sex marriage, Wythe County voters chose no by 72 percent, and Bland voters picked no by 81 percent. Statewide, voters chose yes by 57 percent.
On the amendment to allow for felons to be allowed to vote automatically, Wythe voters picked no by 71 percent, and Bland voters chose no by 80 percent. Across the state, voters backed the measure by 56 percent.
New look for Wytheville, RR councils
Wythe County towns will have new mayors in the new year, after Wytheville and Rural Retreat voters spoke on Nov. 3.
A new mayor was a sure thing in Wytheville, with current Mayor Dr. Beth Taylor not seeking re-election. Voters backed Wytheville Police Chief Joel Hash for the post by nearly 68 percent. Hash received 2,069 votes to Michael “Doc” Scheneman’s 978.
In Rural Retreat, incumbent Mayor Timothy Litz fell to challenger Sean Viars by a 152-vote margin. Viars received 62 percent of the Rural Retreat vote, or 369. Litz received 217 votes.
Three candidates were vying for three open seats on the Rural Retreat council.
Dale Yontz received 399 votes. Jeffrey Butz received 271, and Michael Duncan received 366.
In a crowded Wytheville council field, voters picked two council members from a slate of five, including incumbent Vice Mayor Candi Johnson and incumbent Cathy Pattison.
Of the two incumbents, early totals seem to show that only Pattison will be returning to council on Jan. 1.
Pattison received 1,230 votes and was the top vote-getter in the field.
Unofficial results show that Johnson was the third-highest vote-getter, receiving 1,129.
Randy Hamm Jr., according to unofficial results, looks to be the second-highest vote-getter and a council member-elect, with 1,158 votes.
Aubrey Whitlow Sr. received 673 votes, and Kerry Eans 647.
In Bland County, the lone candidate for Commissioner of Revenue, Carman Viar, received 1,848 votes.
