While most Snohomish County ballot measures passed in Tuesday’s primary election, Sultan voters rejected a levy to expand the police department, according to Wednesday’s vote returns.
Also, officials in the Snohomish and Stanwood-Camano areas were holding their breath on two other measures – one just short of the required vote and the other just over.
Those officials won’t know for sure about their measures until Friday, when about 40,000 absentee ballots will be counted.
Fire District 4 (Snohomish area)
A tax levy increase for ambulance and paramedic services was falling just short of the 60 percent majority required for passage.
The proposed increase was to 50 cents from 22 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation.
Fire Chief Robert Merritt said Wednesday he hopes absentee ballots will flip the close vote.
“We are optimistic, and we are also prepared, if we are unsuccessful, to place the levy back on the ballot” in the Nov. 2 general election, Merritt said.
Meanwhile, the district will discuss options in case the measure fails then as well, Merritt said. The options include closing some fire stations and laying off several staff members.
Stanwood library bond
A bond for a new $9 million library in Stanwood is hovering close to the required 60 percent majority.
Mary Kelly, community relations manager for the Sno-Isle Regional Library System, said the numbers could dip again, so she and Stanwood officials have been preparing an alternate plan.
The Sno-Isle board and the Stanwood City Council plan to put the measure back on the Nov. 2 ballot. They have until Friday to do so.
“There appears to be a fair amount of momentum,” she said. “We wouldn’t want to lose that.”
Stanwood Mayor Herb Kuhnly said he would continue to support both the library and a new city hall built on a joint campus.
Sultan, Proposition 2
Sultan residents were voting down an 81-cent property tax increase to hire two additional police officers and a records clerk.
The additional positions would have increased the force from eight to 10 officers and provided around-the-clock police coverage. The department is paying overtime to keep up with calls, Police Chief Fred Walser said.
At some point, the overtime budget will run out, he said. Also, the budget doesn’t address problems that arise when an officer is sick or on vacation, Walser said.
Other alternatives were explored before asking voters to raise taxes, Walser said.
“We’ll have to look at some other way, probably not this year,” the chief said. “We’ll cope the way we are for now, and we’ll be short of people.”
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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