PORT TOWNSEND — Port Townsend and Brinnon school district measures were passing and two East Jefferson Fire Rescue propositions also were being approved following initial special election returns Tuesday night.
The Port Townsend school measure, a 20-year, $99.25 million bond, was surpassing the required supermajority vote with 70.31 percent approved, or 4,222 votes, to 29.69 percent rejected (1,783 votes).
The bond, which aims to renovate aging schools and improve safety, also required a minimum of 40 percent voter turnout. At first count, 47 percent of Jefferson County voters cast ballots, with 12,241 ballots returned out of 26,187 registered voters.
The next vote count is expected to be about 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
The bond will pay for the costs of constructing improvements and additions to the Port Townsend High School campus and renovating the Gael Stuart building as the new OCEAN K-12 school.
The resolution, passed by the school board in November, aims to redesign the high school campus for single, controlled entry points, reduce multiple unsecured access points and make other safety and security upgrades. It also aims to retrofit or replace school buildings to meet modern seismic safety standards, and to upgrade aging and inefficient HVAC equipment, insulation and windows.
Another goal is to make Americans with Disabilities (ADA) improvements to address barriers to access, and to modernize restrooms, pathways and entries to meet design standards.
The OCEAN K-12 school would be relocated to the Gael Stuart building from its current temporary facility, and district offices would be relocated.
Brinnon
In Brinnon, voters were passing a two-year replacement Education, Programs & Operations levy at 72.65 percent (255 votes) to 27.35 percent (96 votes).
The measure approves collection of property taxes of $403,769 this year for collection in 2027, and $427,309 in 2027 for collection in 2028. The tax rate is expected to be about $0.78 per $1,000 of assessed property value in both years.
It will allow the district to pay for teaching, school supplies, activities, transportation and facility maintenance and operations and replaces an EP&O levy that expires this year.
East Jefferson Fire Rescue
Two East Jefferson Fire Rescue propositions also were passing.
Proposition 1, a levy lid lift from $1.24 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $1.40 per $1,000, was passing at 75.05 percent (7,392 votes) to 24.95 percent (2,457 votes).
Proposition 2, an Emergency Services Levy lid lift from $0.48 per $1,000 to $0.50 per $1,000, had a similar margin at 78.17 percent (7,665 votes) to 21.83 percent (2,140 votes).
