Bell City R-II's $11M bond certified after dispute over election notice compliance

After two months of "working through challenges" with State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick's office, Bell City R-II Schools has had its Proposition C.U.B.S. bond sales certified.

The ongoing issue stemmed from Fitzpatrick's office claiming Stoddard County Clerk Cecil Weeks didn't comply with the state's law requiring notices for a bond issue to be published in two consecutive publications, one two weeks before the election and another one week before. Weeks said the notices had been published in the Dexter Statesman and Bernie Banner within the proper time frame. Both papers are published weekly, which covers a full seven-day period.

Matt Asher, Bell City schools superintendent, praised the district's general council, Natalie Hoernschemeyer, for advocating on its behalf to get the bond certified.

"She established that the district not only complied with the law, but that we exceeded it in every aspect," Asher said. "She further was able to explain that publication in a weekly paper is considered to run for a full seven days of the paper's distribution and not only on the initial date of publication."




https://www.semissourian.com/education/bell-city-r-iis-11m-bond-certified-after-dispute-over-election-notice-compliance-7db35078