Schmidt, Baig look in control of Latah County library vote

MOSCOW — Wayne Schmidt and Saba Baig won their respective races in the Latah County Library District Trustee election, according to unofficial results Wednesday, a day after the vote.

With all 34 precincts accounted for, Schmidt leads Colton Bennett and Michelle Huso for a six-year term on the board. He has 2,975 votes, or 59.5% of the total. Schmidt is a Deary resident who previously served as a Latah County Library District trustee in 2001.

Bennett earned the second-most votes with 1,516.

Baig is leading Juliana Bollinger with 3,225 votes, or 64.5% of the total, for a four-year term. Baig is a Moscow resident who has served on the board since July 2022.

A total of 5,003 votes were cast in the library board election.

Whitepine Joint School District asked voters to approve an $880,000 supplemental levy for maintenance and operation expenses. The unofficial results show it is passing with 277 votes, or 73% of the total vote. Latah County and Clearwater County residents voted on this issue.

The estimated average annual cost to the taxpayer on the proposed levy is a tax of $288.10 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value, per year, based on current conditions.

The Princeton Hampton Sewer District asked voters to approve a $1 million bond to reline lagoons, rehabilitate lift stations and improve the system. The bond’s duration is a maximum of 40 years.

The unofficial results show all 18 votes cast were in favor of this bond.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.