There will be two special elections on February 10 in Blaine County. One will be for the town board of trustees in Hydro and the other will be a bond referendum for Canton Schools.
At Canton, the district is seeking a bond issue of $12.3 million to build or repair school facilities. The money may also be used to purchase furniture and equipment or acquiring and improving school sites. The school website indicates the new space will include an elementary classroom addition, corridor and a gym lobby.
A bond is similar to consumer loans used to purchase a big-ticket item such as a car or home. Essentially the school district – and its patrons, the people who pay property taxes in the district – agree to make semi-annual payments from property tax collections on a lump sum dispersal to use immediately. The dispersed money comes from the sale of the bonds to banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions who offer the bonds as investments to their clients. The district passed a bond in 2019 to build the fieldhouse and shop addition, as well as re-roof the high school and add lights and fencing to the campus. That bond was for $3.1 million and $1.4 million remains outstanding. A previous bond fell off the rolls – basically was paid off – in 2024. That dropped the tax millage to 5.04 for 2026.
Should the new bond pass, the rate will increase 9.6%, or about $96 per every thousand dollars of property value.
Bonds require a 60 % supermajority approval to pass.
Superintendent Sean Weibling said the district is requesting the bond to address some security and safety issues.
“We have a well-maintained older building,” he said. “But the elementary kids have to cross the parking lot to get to the cafeteria and library.” He said that is an obvious safety concern. Additionally, the existing gym lobby also serves as the cafeteria. That means anyone who enters the lobby during a game could access the rest of the building, forcing the district to cancel classes for tournament play to ensure student security.
A new entrance at the front of the gym would shut down access to the rest of the building and improve handicapped access. Weibling said there are currently only four ADA compliant seats in the gym.
Weibling said he and the board planned carefully what they asked the public to approve.
“We went into this knowing we had to be smart with it,” he said. “There is not a lot of fluff in the project, it’s all necessary to serve the kids and keep them secure and to provide ADA access for the patrons.”
The Canton School District will be sending out information packets about the bond issue soon, as well as hosting listening sessions to help the residents make informed decisions on the bond issue.
In the town of Hydro, part of which lies in Blaine County, the election is to fill an unexpired term on the town board of trustees.
To vote in either contest, the residents must have appropriate registration. According to Blaine County Election Board Secretary Brenda Rice, the last day to apply for voter registration for this election is January 16. Early voting begins February 5 at the board office in the basement of the courthouse. It will continue February 6. The county has recently installed a doorbell on the election board office door and an employee inside the office must allow entry under the new security system.