Both Methow Valley School district levy requests on Tuesday’s special election ballot were being approved handily, with nearly identical results, in the first round of returns reported Tuesday night (Feb. 11).
According to the Okanogan County Auditor’s Office, Proposition 1 had drawn 1,187 yes votes to 516 “no” votes, an approval rate of nearly 70%. Proposition 2 had 1,188 “yes” votes to 515 “no” votes.
The auditor’s office said the next round of results will be released Friday (Feb. 14), but that it had only about 100 ballots left to tally.
District voters were asked to approve two four-year property tax levies. An educational programs and operations (EP&O) levy will be used to pay for educational costs not covered by state funding. The district asked for $8.3 million over four years: $2 million in 2021, with $50,000 added each year over the following three years.
The same ballot asked voters to approve or reject a $3.4 million technology levy, with $850,000 collected annually over four years, starting in 2021.
Both measures will replace existing levies that expire in 2020, and both required the support of a simple majority of voters in order to pass.
Look for more detailed coverage in next week’s Methow Valley News.
