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Hugo voters head to the polls
By Bill Hankins
The Paris News
Published November 7, 2009
HUGO, Okla. — Hugo voters will square off at the polls Tuesday in a highly controversial Hugo school election that could reduce the size of the Hugo Independent School District by 19 square miles.
At stake is the disannexing of part of the Hugo school district into the Rattan Independent School District in Pushmataha County.
“We need all the help we can get to keep this from happening,” Hugo School Superintendent Tony Daugherty said. “We have a group of people in Messer community — nine families — who already transferred to the Rattan school district and who now want to disannex from the Hugo school district so their property taxes can be paid to Rattan.”
Daugherty said the transfers’ parents now drive them to a place where they meet a Rattan bus to take them to school.
“Now they want to have an election to see their money will go to Rattan,” Daugherty said. “These nine families got enough people together to call an election to pay their taxes to Rattan, but Hugo school district has to pay for the election. That sets us back almost $5,000.”
“I have never, ever heard of that kind of situation before, and the Hugo school district can’t afford to lose property in the Hugo school district,” Daugherty said. “Just like Paris ISD, I am surrounded by smaller school districts, and if this thing passes, more will try to do the same thing.”
Presumably, Texas statute prevents this type of election in Texas.
Daugherty said he needs voters to say no “so we can stop this thing from happening.”
“Many of the landowners in that 19-mile area did not give their permission to put their land in this election,” Daugherty said. “If it passes, they will be paying their property taxes to Rattan.”
If voters approve the change, it would become effective Nov. 30 of this year.
Polls will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Polling places are:
104 — Soper City Hall
105 — South Central Community Center, 700 South Dewitt St., Hugo
106 — Church of the Nazarene, 100 North “H” St., Hugo
208 — Goodland, Goodland Boys Home, Bacon Hall by water tower
210 — Shoat Springs Community Center, Hwy 70 W. of Hugo, 1 mile south on Fallon Road and 1/2 mile west, building on right
214 — Washington Community Center, Old Washington School Building 300 W. Central, Hugo
215 — Old Library Building, Boys and Girls Club, 208 E. Jefferson, Hugo
316 — First Christian Church, 301 E. Kirk St., Hugo
318 — Messer Community Messer Senior Citizens Center Hwy 93 N. 7 miles to fire department on right
9120 — In-person absentee, Friday, Nov. 6, and Monday, Nov. 9, Courthouse, 300 E. Duke St., Hugo.
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