EVERETT — Voters in the Arlington, Darrington, Edmonds, Granite Falls and Monroe school districts should look for their ballots in the mail today or Saturday.
These districts have property tax levy elections, with ballots due in the mail or in drop boxes by Feb. 14.
In addition, voters in Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 28 in Index are being asked to decide if the fire district board should increase from three members to five.
A voter turnout of about 36 percent is anticipated for the Feb. 14 election, said Garth Fell, Snohomish County elections manager. The election is to be certified on Feb. 28.
“We tend to see ballots being returned a little faster than usual in the spring elections,” Fell said. “So our drop boxes are open now and we should have most ballots counted by election day.”
State law requires that school districts periodically ask voters to consider renewal of the local property tax levy. The levies on the ballot are not for new taxes but are replacements for property tax collection programs that expire this year.
In Arlington, the district hopes to collect about $11.7 million a year or a total of about $47 million over the next four years to pay for programs such as technology, curriculum, transportation, special education, sports and performing arts.
The tax rate during the four years would be about $3.53 per $1,000 of assessed property value. So the owner of a $300,000 house would pay about $1,059 a year through 2016. More info: www.asd.wednet.edu.
In Darrington, school district officials are seeking a two-year, $2.6 million levy to fund educational programs and operations. If approved, the annual rate of taxation during 2013 and 2014 would be about $3.80 per $1,000 of assessed value. The owner of a $200,000 house would pay about $760 a year. More info: www.dsd.k12.wa.us.
In the Edmonds School District, a four-year, $31.5 million school replacement technology and capital improvement levy is before voters in Edmonds, Woodway, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and Brier. The money would fund classroom computer technology and make safety and building improvements.
The levy is estimated to cost 44 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value from 2013 through 2016. For the owner of a home assessed this year at $310,000, the cost is estimated to be $136 a year. More info: www.edmonds.wednet.edu.
The Granite Falls district has two levies to bring to the voters. The first is a two-year programs and operations levy. The second is a two-year technology and capital projects levy.
If approved, the levy amounts would be $4.45 million for programs and operations and $642,000 for computer technology.
The rates are $3.32 per $1,000 of assessed value for operations over two years and 48 cents per $1,000 for the two-year technology levy. For the owner of a house in the district assessed this year at $210,000, the cost of the combined levies would be $798 in 2013. More info: www.gfalls.wednet.edu.
Monroe’s proposed two-year, $31.9 million school programs and operations levy would pay for such programs as art, music and athletics.
If approved, the levy would cost about $3.90 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2013 and $4.19 per $1,000 in 2014. For the owner of a house assessed this year at $280,000, the cost would be about $1,132 a year. More info: www.monroe.wednet.edu.
Ballot drop boxes are located at the Arlington Library, 135 N. Washington Ave.; Edmonds Library, 650 Main St.; Everett Courthouse Campus, Rockefeller Avenue and Wall Street; Lynnwood Library, 19200 44th Ave. W.; Marysville Municipal Court, 1015 State St.; and Monroe Library, 1070 Village Way.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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