School, library ballots are due Tuesday

Published 11:00 pm Sunday, May 18, 2008

Measures to fix school buildings, boost classroom technology, finance libraries and provide emergency medical services are on mail-only ballots that are due Tuesday.

Snohomish County elections officials are projecting turnout to be about 40 percent of those who receive ballots for the election. About half the 344,000 voters in the county live in areas that have measures to decide on.

As of Friday, 22 percent had returned ballots.

“What we tend to find in springtime elections is people tend to return their ballots fairly quickly,” said Garth Fell, the county elections director.

The biggest projects are school bond measures in Snohomish and Mukilteo. Both school districts are running the same bond measures that failed earlier this year. Snohomish received a 57 percent yes vote, while Mukilteo had 55.7 percent approval. School bonds require a 60 percent supermajority.

Snohomish schools

In Snohomish, the 20-year, $262 million bond proposal would provide funding for work to renovate Snohomish High School, renovate and expand Valley View Middle School, expand Centennial Middle School, replace Machias and Riverview elementary schools, build a new aquatics center for school and community use, and improve technology. It also would provide money for smaller building projects.

The aquatics center would replace Hal Moe Pool, which was closed last year because of extensive safety and structural problems with the old building.

Cost to the taxpayer of the bond is estimated at 19 cents per $1,000 of assessed value and could decrease with new development, school officials said. The owner of a $400,000 home would pay $76 a year at the above rate.

However, by the time tax money would be collected, a bus levy that assesses 22 cents per $1,000 of value will have expired. That means the overall school tax rate when combining school levies and bonds would remain unchanged at $4.45 per $1,000 for 2009 collections, according to school district estimates.

Mukilteo schools

In Mukilteo, the $139 million measure would renovate Mukilteo and Discovery elementary schools; build a new elementary school near Lake Stickney; fix athletic facilities and fields at middle schools and at Kamiak and Mariner high schools, including Goddard Stadium; buy land for buildings in the future; improve classrooms across the district; and build classrooms to replace portables at ACES, the district’s alternative high school in south Everett. It would also upgrade technology.

The 21-year bond measure would collect 31 cents per $1,000 of assessed value in the first year, about $124 a year on a $400,000 home.

Edmonds schools

Voters in the Edmonds School District will decide the fate of a technology and capital facilities levy that would replace a levy that expires this year.

The proposed $31.5 million levy is expected to cost residents 28 cents per $1,000 of their property’s assessed value. The owner of a $400,000 home would pay $112 each year.

The expiring $44 million levy costs voters 52 cents per $1,000 of the assessed value of their property.

The new levy would help replace outdated computers and buy laptops for classroom use, among other things.

Libraries

Voters in the Arlington area are being asked to decide whether they want a new library.

The ballot seeks approval to form a taxing district and issue $8.8 million in bonds to fund construction and other start-up costs. The cost to homeowners will be about 14 cents per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. The owner of a $300,000 house would pay $42 a year. The bond issue would be paid back through property taxes collected over 20 years, beginning in 2009.

To fund the library, voters must approve the creation of a special taxing district, which generally includes the city of Arlington and the Arlington School District School District east of I-5 and south to 164th Street NE. This measure must pass by simple majority. The second ballot measure asks voters to decide if they want to fund a new library through a bond issue. This must pass by at least a 60 percent majority.

The city has committed to providing a site across the street from the current library. The proposed library would be about 20,000 square feet and contain more computers, books and audio-visual items. The current library, which is nearly 30 years old, is 5,200 square feet and would become a community center available for meetings and events.

Voters in Lake Stevens and Darrington are being asked to annex into the Sno-Isle Libraries system and pay a direct tax for library services. Currently, the city and the town fund Sno-Isle from municipal coffers.

In 2007, Darrington paid more than $25,000 from its general fund for library staff, materials and other operating costs. The annual fee, combined with property tax dollars from those who live outside the town limits, pays for operating the Darrington Library.

If annexation is approved, town residents would join their neighbors in unincorporated Darrington in paying a property tax to fund library operations. The current library levy is 31.3 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. So the owner of a $100,000 home in Darrington would pay $31.30 a year for the library.

In Lake Stevens, the owner of a $300,000 home would pay $94 per year for library service. The city will pay $570,301 — 23 percent of the city’s general fund budget — this year to the Sno-Isle Library District to run the Lake Stevens Library, compared with $298,726 last year. Growth has boosted Lake Stevens’ tax base and expenses.

Town and city officials said the savings on library expenses could be used for sidewalks, street repair and parks. Approval of the ballot measures also would pave the way for library expansion in Darrington and a new library in Lake Stevens.

Fire and EMS

Voters will weigh in on fire levies to support Edmonds Fire Department and the North County Fire and Emergency Medical Services, which serves the Warm Beach, Bryant and Freeborn areas.

Both fire districts are looking to restore prior year levy rates to maintain emergency services.

For Edmonds voters, the levy would cost an average of $83 more each year. For North County district residents, the increase averages about a $50 increase each year.

Reporters Gale Fiege, Bill Sheets and Jackson Holtz contributed to this report.