Voters approved Sandpoint’s $130 million bond to renovate the city’s wastewater treatment plant and Ponderay’s 1% local option tax to fund city projects as Bonner County residents headed to the polls Tuesday. 

Bonner County Clerk Michael Rosedale said early voting and absentee turnout was around 30% of a normal odd year election.

The final ballots were counted at about 10:15 p.m. as unofficial final results released shortly afterward.

City council races

In Sandpoint, voters to send Joel Aispuro, Joe Tate and Joshua Torrez to serve in the three open City Council seats in a tightly-packed race with 18 votes making the difference between third and fourth. Aispuro received 1,398 votes, or 29.26%; Tate received 1,216 votes, or 25.45%; and Torrez received 1,091 votes, or 22.83%.

Rick Howarth, who was appointed to the seat in April 2024 by Mayor Jeremy Grimm, finished fourth with 1,073 votes, or 22.46%.

The race is at-large, meaning the three candidates who receive the most votes will be elected to a four-year term on the council.

In Dover, Kim Bledsoe and Jerry Heaps were elected with Bledsoe receiving 144 votes, or 40.22%; and Heaps receiving 111 votes, or 31.01%. Merlin Glass received 52 votes, or 14.53%; and Hans Steidl received 51 votes, or 14.25%. This is also an at-large race with the top two vote-getters elected to a four-year term.

In Kootenai, Robert Dressel won the election to the council’s Seat 1 with 64 votes, or 66.67%, defeating Danelle Baumgarten-Picket, who received 32 votes, or 33.33%.

Mayoral races

In Clark Fork, the county's only contested mayoral race, incumbent Russell Schenck won re-election to the post with 83 votes, o5 56.08%, defeating challenger Tanya Becker, who received 65 votes, or 43.92%. 

Fire commissioner races

Oden Olson won election to the Timberlake Fire District’s Subdistrict 2, receiving 207 votes, or 51.75%, between Bonner and Kootenai counties. He defeated Jason Charter, who received 131 votes, or 32.75%; and Kerry Kieres, who received 62 votes, or 15.50%.

Incumbent Matt Church won re-election to Timberlake Fire District’s Subdistrict 4, receiving 290 votes, or 72.68% between Bonner and Kootenai counties, defeating Jim Morrow, who received 109 votes, or 27.32%.

In Priest River, David A. Van Natter defeated Nigel Cave to win a commissioner seat on the West Pend Oreille Fire District in Subdistrict 1. Van Natter received 445 votes, or 61.72%, while Cave received 276 votes, or 38.28%. 

Ballot measures

Residents of Sandpoint overwhelmingly approved a $130 million bond to completely renovate the wastewater treatment plant. The measure received 1,749 yes votes, or 89.01%, compared to 216 no votes, or 10.99%. The measure needed a simple majority to pass.

The bond will be repaid through utility rate revenue and indebt the city for the next 40 years. The renovations to the plant will take place in phases; the city said construction will start in summer 2026 and take approximately five years.

East Hope voters rejected the city’s proposed override tax levy for street maintenance with 60 residents, or 63.16%, voting against the measure compared to 35 residents, or 36.84% voting against it. The measure needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

Based on current market value, the levy would have added an estimated $20.89 per $100,000 taxable assessed value, according to the city.

Voters gave a strong thumbs-up to Ponderay’s proposed 1% local option tax, which will fund ongoing city projects including the Field of Dreams and lakeshore access and railroad underpass project.

The measure, which will be in effect for the next 10 years, received 122 yes votes, or 77.71%, compared to 35 no votes, or 22.29%. The measure needed a 60% majority to pass.

While the Northside Fire District’s override levy received more yes votes than no votes, it didn’t break the threshold of 66.67% to pass. The measure received 784 yes votes, or 50.91%, compared to 756 no votes, or 49.09%.

The measure would have doubled the district’s budget and maintained current staffing levels. Based on current market conditions, the increase would have increased the district’s levy rate from $20.80 per $100,000 of assessed value to $41 per year.