ARLINGTON — Voters on Tuesday were deciding whether to fund new buses for the Arlington School District.
The $3 million levy is the only item on the Feb. 10 Snohomish County ballot. If approved, the money would be used to replace 26 of the Arlington School District’s 53 buses over the next two years.
The same request failed in November. Out of 9,858 votes cast, it fell 200 short.
If the measure passes this time, property owners in the school district would pay 43 cents per $1,000 assessed value, or about $108 per year on a $250,000 home, in 2016. That amount would drop to 41 cents — $103 on a $250,000 home — in 2017.
District officials have called it a one-time request. They hope to replace half of the bus fleet through the levy, then rely on state dollars to build up funds for future bus purchases.
The deadline for ballots is 8 p.m. Tuesday in drop boxes at the Arlington library, Marysville Municipal Court or county courthouse. They also can be mailed, but must be postmarked Feb. 10 to be counted. Voters who have misplaced or did not receive their ballot can get a replacement online at www.myvote.wa.gov.
Preliminary results are scheduled to be posted a little after 8 p.m. Tuesday at www.snoco.org/elections/results. Ballots turned in on election day are to be counted Wednesday, with updated results available around 5 p.m., county elections manager Garth Fell said. The final tally won’t be certified until Feb. 24.
As of Tuesday morning, the county had received 4,470 ballots, a 24 percent return rate.
“We’ve had a pretty good return so far, and we just hope people continue to get their ballots in,” Fell said.
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