The Alpine School District Foundation will repay the district for the use of a district-owned vehicle after district employees used it to put up campaign signs -- a violation of Utah law.

The signs encouraged voters on Nov. 7 to approve a $235 million bond and $4 million annual leeway. Also, the district is going to distribute a flier opposing the bond and leeway because it distributed material encouraging people to vote yes on the propositions -- another violation.

Dennis Lisonbee, a Utah Valley State College professor and a proponent of splitting the district, said that on Oct. 17 he saw district employees in a district-owned vehicle at the Mountainland Applied Technology College campus in Orem putting up the signs in support of the propositions. Lisonbee's wife, Laurie, called the district to complain that the activities violated a state law that prohibits public entities from using public funds to influence an election. Lisonbee said he also e-mailed a report to several legislators and Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert.

District spokeswoman Jerrilyn Mortensen said the workers were off the clock, and the Alpine School District Foundation will reimburse the transportation department for about $270, or $3.50 a mile.

The foundation raises money for the district and is governed by a volunteer board of directors comprising business leaders, patrons and school district employees.

The employees involved in the violation will not be disciplined, Mortensen said. "It was a simple error in judgment on their part, and there's no discipline."

District business administrator Rob Smith said the employees were working on comp time.

Herbert called the district in mid-October to discuss another possible campaign violation. Mortensen said an employee newsletter included an image that encouraged readers to vote yes on the bond and leeway.

"Normally it would just say vote and it should have just said vote," Mortensen said. "What happened was the printer pulled the graphic for the signs rather than the other graphic, and I didn't see it beforehand and it was printed. We'll take full responsibility for it. It's our error."

Herbert told the district that state law required them to distribute a rebuttal. Barbara Petty, a supporter of a recent effort to split the district, will write the piece, Mortensen said, and the district will distribute it.

Herbert's chief of staff, Joe Demma, said Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, asked Herbert to look into the complaints. But Herbert has not received an official complaint, he said.

"Because no one has even yet to this day officially complained to the lieutenant governor, we've got no official role in this," he said. If he does get an official complaint, he will forward it to the county attorney to determine the appropriate legal response, he said. "We're not election policemen."

County attorney Kay Bryson couldn't be reached for comment on the matter on Wednesday.

Lisonbee said the alleged offenses make the election unfair. "When events like this go unchecked, the violations increase. The result is the opposing point of view is drowned out and the democratic process has been subverted."

Mortensen said the district wants to do the right thing. "We're seeking to make amends for anything we did that was out of line and are more than happy to cooperate."

Anna Chang-Yen can be reached at 344-2549 or annac@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C1.