2017 Moses Lake School Bond survives last legal hurdle

The 2017 Moses Lake School District bond has officially passed after the people challenging the bond decided to not appeal to the state supreme court.   Our news partner iFiber One News says the petitioners had 30 days from a March 8th Court of Appeals decision to file an appeal, but that deadline passed without a challenge.

The state Division III Court of Appeals filed its ruling on March 8, denying a request to annul the election results, with the petitioners claiming Grant County Auditor Michele Jaderlund engaged in misconduct by failing to call voters who had not returned their ballots after they were notified of signature issues by mail.

After Grant County Superior Court Judge Antosz's ruling, the appeals court upheld there was substantial compliance from Jaderlund with her duty to notify voters, and state law does not void an election if the auditor neglects one of her duties.

The appeals court also noted the petitioners could not show that the election results would have changed if the challenged ballots had been returned and counted in the election.

While the lawsuit has ended, the Moses Lake School Board has not made any decisions to alter construction bond plans that include building a second high school, a new elementary school and providing upgrades to Moses Lake High School.

Delays in construction caused by the lawsuit prevented the district from selling bonds, combined with the state’s failure to pass a capital budget in 2017 and increases in school construction costs, leave the $135.3 million in bonds approved by voters in 2017  below the funds needed to move forward with current designs for the new high school and elementary school.