PORT ANGELES — Voters have rejected a $46.7 million levy that would have funded an expansion and renovation of Stevens Middle School in Port Angeles, today’s second count of ballots shows.
Port Angeles School District Proposition 1 failed with 4,642 voting no and 4,525 voting yes — 50.64 percent to 49.36 percent difference — after the Clallam County Auditor’s office processed 1,014 late-arriving special election ballots today (Friday).
The capital levy needed a simple majority of 50 percent plus 1 vote to pass.
“We have no ballots left at this time to process, but expect a handful of ballots over the next week to trickle in through the mail,” County Auditor Shoona Riggs said.
The Port Angeles School District levy was failing on election day Tuesday with 51.22 percent voting no. The levy gained some ground in today’s count, but the no votes still outnumbered the yes votes by 117.
Meanwhile, voters in the Cape Flattery School District have overwhelmingly approved a two-year, $550,000 educational programs and operations levy that will replace a two-year levy of $750,000 that expires this year.
As of today, the Cape Flattery measure had 269 yes votes and 70 no votes, a 79.35 to 20.65 percent difference.
Voter turnout in the Port Angeles and Cape Flattery school districts was 43.52 percent.
Of the 21,853 ballots that were mailed to registered voters in the two districts, 9,511 ballots were returned for a voter turnout of 43.52 percent.
The levy rate for the Cape Flattery measure will be $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in each of the next two years.
The levy rate for the Port Angeles School District levy would have been $2.47 per $1,000 of valuation from 2019 through 2024.
The special election will be certified Feb. 23.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
