The ballots for the Feb. 9 General Election have been counted. There were 5,096 ballots submitted, a voter turnout of 42.4 percent.
San Juan Island School District #149 Proposition No. 1 Capital Levy for School Facilities & Technology passed with 73.5 percent of voters voting yes, a total of 1,956 votes.
The passing of this levy will fund various building improvements and projects as well as technological advances such as a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics building at the Friday Harbor Elementary School.
Other projects earmarked to be funded by this year’s Capitol Projects and Technology Levy include a remodel of the Turnbull Gym’s locker rooms which have not been updated since the gym was opened in the 1980s. Structural problems at the Friday Harbor Middle School are also on the repair list along with modernizing both school’s libraries and kitchens.
Opponents of this year’s levy said that the increase from the 2012 levy was too high; that it doesn’t follow reasonable income and cost of living increases. The previous levy’s tax worked out to cost about $170 per year for a home assessed around $500,000. The reauthorized 2016 levy will cost county homeowners about $230 per year per $500,000 home value which is approximately a 35 percent increase.
San Juan voters approve school levy
San Juan Island School District #149 Proposition No. 1 Capital Levy for School Facilities & Technology passed with 73.5 percent of voters voting yes, a total of 1,956 votes.
