Raising property taxes to support essential county services proved even more unpopular than preliminary primary-election results indicated, with voters in just four of Okanogan County’s 102 precincts — all in the Methow Valley — willing to pay more.
Okanogan County voters rejected the proposal for a levy lid lift by 69.5% to 30.5%. In some precincts, especially near Omak and Okanogan, opposition was brutal, with 87% voting “no.”
But in Mazama, Winthrop, East Winthrop and West Winthrop, voters supported the lid lift by healthy margins. The biggest support came from Winthrop, where voters backed the lid left by 62% to 38%. In Mazama, the lid lift got about 60% of the vote; in East Winthrop, 53.4% of voters said “yes;” and in West Winthrop, 52% supported it.
The precinct boundaries aren’t readily apparent from the names. “Mazama” encompasses the area from Mazama to about 4 miles west of Winthrop. “Winthrop” is the town. “East Winthrop” includes part of the Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road and Cub Creek, and “West Winthrop” takes in the Rendezvous, West Chewuch and Patterson Lake.
The only other precinct in the entire county where the ballot question didn’t lose was South Nespelem on the Colville Reservation, where the measure was tied, 12 to 12.
The lid lift would have added 27 cents for each $1,000 of valuation — about $135 for the annual property tax bill for a house worth $500,000 — generating about $2.3 million in additional revenue for the county, according to the ballot proposal. It would have become the base amount for all future levies, which would then have increased by an additional 1% each year.
The county commissioners proposed the property-tax hike to fill an anticipated $2-million budget deficit. Without the extra money, they anticipate reductions in staffing, diminished levels of service, and decreased support for community programs including the fairgrounds and 4-H youth development.
The commissioners attribute the shortfall in part to inflation, the increase in the minimum wage, significantly higher insurance costs, and unfunded mandates from the state, including for public defense.
The 1% limit on property tax originated in a 2001 voter-approved initiative. Although it was declared unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court, the state Legislature passed a law in 2007 enshrining the 1% limit. Now, the only way to collect more money is through a levy lid lift, which must be approved by voters.
District 4 Congressional race
The top two contenders for representative to the U.S. Congress for District 4 are Republican Amanda McKinney and Democrat John Duresky, who both emerged from the field of 11 candidates with strong support. Duresky was the choice of a majority of Okanogan County voters, with 4,175 votes to McKinney’s 3,743, for a margin of 5.5%. Republican Jerrod Sessler came in third, with 1,673 votes.
In the 11-candidate race, McKinney got 34.8% of the vote overall, to 29.9% for Duresky. Duresky also won in Franklin and Klickitat counties, with the largest margin in Klickitat.
The 4th Congressional district encompasses eight counties in central Washington, from the Canadian to Oregon border.
Voter turnout in Okanogan County was 43.65%. The highest turnout was 59.5% in Garfield County. The lowest was in Franklin County, with 26.6% casting ballots.
Whoever wins will replace Rep. Dan Newhouse, who didn’t run for re-election after serving six terms.
