Informational forums are planned Tuesday and Wednesday on property tax proposals for Port Townsend and Chimacum public schools and for a bond measure to fund Mountain View Commons renovations.
Both forums are free. The tax measures will be on the Feb. 10 special election ballot.
A forum on the proposed $34.8 million bond for the Chimacum School District is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road in Chimacum.
Bond committee members along with Superintendent Rich Stewart and Assistant Superintendent Art Clarke will make presentations.
The Chimacum bond would fund renovation and expansion of Chimacum Creek Primary School and the district’s main campus, including the auditorium, as well as fund construction of a new athletic complex with a stadium, field and track, and support for other infrastructure improvements.
If approved, the measure would impose a new tax on property owners by $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, or $375 for a $250,000 home. Collection would begin in 2016.
Port Townsend
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, a free forum is planned on two measures that will be on the February ballot for Port Townsend voters.
The forum will be at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St.
It will address the proposed renewal of the Port Townsend School District education program and operations levy and the city’s $3.6 million bond request for renovation and repair of Mountain View Commons.
Presenters will be Port Townsend School Board member Jennifer James-Wilson and Mountain View Proponents representative Jeff Randall.
The proposed replacement tax levy would, if approved, net the Port Townsend School District $14.6 million over a four-year period.
The rate for the current levy, which will expire this year, is $1.56 per $1,000 of assessed value.
The amount of rate increase is estimated to be about 2 cents per $1,000 a year, according to finance manager Sarah Bonneville, which would represent an annual increase of $5 for a $250,000 home.
City bond measure
The city’s bond measure would raise up to $3.6 million in bond sales to go toward the estimated $4.1 million needed to complete Mountain View renovations.
In addition to a new heating system, the structure needs roof repairs, city pool maintenance and other structural work.
The amount between the total cost of the project and the amount raised by the bond measure will come from grants that are already committed from the state Department of Ecology for $300,000, the state Department of Commerce for $500,000, a grant of about $180,000 administered by the Jefferson County Public Utility District and other sources to be determined, according to City Manager David Timmons.
If passed, the measure would be an increase of no more than 13 cents per $1,000 of valuation for 15 years.
A simple majority is needed for levy passage.
A 60 percent majority is required for voter passage of a school bond issue. In addition, there must be a 40 percent voter turnout based on the number of votes cast in the school district in November’s general election.
The forums are co-sponsored by the American Association of University Women of Jefferson County, the League of Women Voters-Jefferson County and the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader.
For more information, contact Jackie Aase at 360-385-6027 or aase@waypoint.com.