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It’s the typical good-news, bad-news scenario.
On one hand, East Valley School District officials are ecstatic that a needed maintenance-and-operations levy was passing by over 56 percent after Tuesday night’s vote count.
The measure – which accounts for nearly a fifth of the district’s budget -- received 2,791 yes votes in the first count of ballots. It will continue to raise $3.15 per $1,000 in assessed property value for three more years.
However, East Valley’s second election question – a $34.5 million construction bond – was barely scraping past 50-approval with 2,497 and 2,438 voting no.
Bond requests by schools require a 60-percent super majority for passage, meaning that the measure would likely not pass even after the remaining votes are counted.
The disparity between the levy approval and the bond approval would seem to indicate that many voters don’t have a problem with continued funding for facility operations but aren’t willing to take on any more of a tax burden for upgrades to the district’s five elementary schools and two middle schools. Computer technology would also have been improved throughout the district.
This was the third time in two years that East Valley has attempted to pass a bond request.
“We’re certainly very, very appreciative of the voters who supported the levy,” said EV Superintendent John Glenewinkel. “It’s certainly bittersweet, though, that we didn’t get the bond issue.”
Glenewinkel met with board members on Wednesday to discuss when the question might reappear on a future ballot.
Levy requests by other school districts and the Spokane Valley Fire Department, however, appear to have passed with little problem.
In the case of the fire department, the traditionally supportive community again came through with 67.86-percent approval for the three-year levy. Over twice as many people voted yes than no, with 16,993 approving and 8,047 in the negative column for the measure, which will bring in $1.59 per $1,000 in assessed property value.
Fire levies need to reach the 60-percent super majority for approval.
Other local school district three-year replacement levies were also sailing to approval this week. In West Valley, early returns had the measure ahead by just over 61 percent, 2,825 votes to 1,764. The levy will collect between $3.79 and $3.89 per $1,000 in assessed property value.
Central Valley also had over 60-percent support for its $3.27 per $1,000 assessed value levy with 11,410 yes votes to 7,318 voting no.
Freeman’s was also receiving over 60-percent approval (846 to 523) for its $2.90 for $1,000 assessed value levy.
Orchard Prairie, north of Spokane Valley, received nearly 66-percent approval for its levy.
To view the election results, visit www.spokanecounty.org/elections. The official results won’t be released until Feb. 4. The election will be certified Feb. 18.
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By
Mike Huffman
