Ballots due in Lake Stevens, Granite Falls and Stanwood-Camano

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, February 14, 2017

EVERETT — Valentines aren’t the only items that need to be mailed or dropped off Tuesday.

It’s the last day to send or turn in ballots for the Feb. 14 special election.

There are four measures for voters in three Snohomish County communities to consider.

In the Stanwood-Camano School District, voters are deciding whether to approve a proposed $147.5 million bond to build a new high school. It would replace the existing school on the same property and would have updated classrooms and security, along with a more-compact campus.

The school district has sought to promote the bond as tax-neutral because it would replace other debts that are being paid off, keeping the overall tax rate for schools steady. The bond is estimated to cost $1.23 per $1,000 assessed value in 2018, or about $308 a year on a $250,000 home.

Lake Stevens voters have two measures on the ballot. Both would need to be approved to build a new library there. One measure would form a district to collect taxes for construction. It would follow the same boundaries as the Lake Stevens School District.

The other measure would approve $17 million in bonds to build a library on Chapel Hill that would be about eight times the size of the one at North Cove. The bond would cost taxpayers an estimated 24.5 cents per $1,000 assessed property value, or roughly $61 a year on a $250,000 home

The Granite Falls School District is seeking $13.7 million for several projects. The first is an overhaul of the middle school that would update classrooms for science, technology, engineering, arts and math classes. The district also would add a covered grandstand at the Granite Falls High School sports field. The rest of the money would go toward security upgrades throughout the district. The bond would cost taxpayers an estimated 13 cents per $1,000 assessed property value, or about $33 on a $250,000 home.

Bond measures require 60 percent of the vote to pass. They also require at least 40 percent voter turnout compared to the most recent election. The last election included voting for the U.S. president, and presidential elections tend to have a higher turnout. Getting a large enough turnout to pass a bond right after a presidential election can be challenging, Snohomish County elections manager Garth Fell said.

As of Friday, Stanwood-Camano voters had turned in more than 30 percent of the ballots sent out. Granite Falls and Lake Stevens both were at less than 20 percent voter turnout.

Ballots must be postmarked by Feb. 14 or deposited in a ballot drop box by 8 p.m. Tuesday. There are drop boxes near the Snohomish County Courthouse at Rockefeller Avenue and Wall Street in Everett, near the Lake Stevens boat launch at 1800 Main St., and near the Stanwood Library at 9701 271st St. NW. A ballot drop-off van also is scheduled to park at the Granite Falls IGA, 115 N Granite Ave., from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.