PORT TOWNSEND — It’s official: Brinnon School District’s replacement levy passed overwhelmingly in a Feb. 9 election.
The final count and certification of results took place Wednesday morning, and the measure was approved with 361 votes, or 61.08 percent, to 230 votes against, or 38.92 percent, the Jefferson County Auditor’s Office elections division reported.
The office reported that 748 ballots were counted, resulting in a 61.87 percent voter turnout.
A simple majority was needed for passage.
The difference in Wednesday’s results was one additional vote counted in favor of the levy.
The Auditor’s elections division mailed out 1,209 ballots Jan. 19.
The Brinnon School District 2-year maintenance and operations replacement levy ballot measure asked voters to approve the levy and raise $572,000 over two years starting in 2011.
The district has 30 kindergarten to eighth-grade students at Brinnon School.
Brinnon property owners will be taxed at a rate of $1.04 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, which will increase to $1.10 percent $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2012.
A homeowner with a home valued at $200,000, for example, will pay $208 a year, which will increase to $220 in 2012.
That will raise $278,885 for 2011 and $293,661 to be collected in 2012.
It replaces an existing levy that expires this year, with levy money going toward textbooks, supplies and unfunded special education requirements.
It also covers the cost of sending Brinnon students to neighboring districts, such as Quilcene High School.
In Clallam County, three elections were certified.
The Sequim School District replacement levy passed 7,423 to 4,852 votes, or 60.47 percent.
The Cape Flattery School District replacement levy passed by 81.18 percent with 358 yes votes to 83 no votes.
The Joyce Fire District levy lid lift passed 387 to 283, or 57.76 percent yes.
Ballot return for the all-mail election was 13,396 ballots out of 23,049 ballots mailed.
Final voter turnout was 58.12 percent.