Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Snohomish school bond measure trailing, but district hopeful 5/21/08 • Preliminary election results 5/21/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Arlington library measure failing Voters approve the taxing district, but a supermajority fails to support paying for bonds. By Gale Fiege Herald Writer Until all the votes are counted, supporters of a new Arlington library say they are not giving up. However, initial ballot returns do not look promising. Voters in the Arlington area agreed to form a taxing district. In the second part of the measure, voters did not deliver the 60 percent supermajority required to issue bonds to build a new library. That part of the measure received 56.2 percent of the vote in initial results. "This isn't what I would have liked to have seen," library supporter Karen Hobson said. "But we did a lot of calling on Monday night and found that many people planning to support the library had not turned in their ballots. I'm still optimistic." It's the third time since 2000 that voters were asked to decide the library's fate. In 2006, the measure fell short of the 60 percent needed to pass by just 28 votes. This time, the $8.8 million bond issue would have cost ­homeowners about 14 cents per $1,000 of a property's assessed value. If approved, the owner of a $300,000 house would pay $42 a year. The next results are expected to be announced Thursday, said Garth Fell, elections supervisor for Snohomish County. Those will mainly be ballots turned in or postmarked on Tuesday. Of the 15,852 ballots mailed to Arlington area voters, less than 5,000 were returned by Monday. In Darrington and Lake Stevens, voters approved measures annexing the municipalities to the Sno-Isle Library system. In Darrington, 74 percent of voters returning ballots voted yes. Darrington Mayor Joyce Jones said the election paves the way for a planned expansion of the town's small library. Lake Stevens voters who cast ballots approved the annexation measure by 61 percent. "Now we can start thinking about a new library, too," library board member Lorna Hole said. Darrington and Lake Stevens property owners now will pay the current library levy of 31.3 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The owner of a $100,000 home will pay $31.30 a year for the library while the owner of $300,000 home would pay $94 per year for library service. Darrington and Lake Stevens have paid for library service out of municipal coffers. Town and city officials said the savings on library expenses now can be used for sidewalks, street repair and parks. Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.

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