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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
February 13, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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February 13, 2020
 
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Page A—20 Shelton-Mason County Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020 2026 SPECIAL ELECTION MCFD 1 earns strong support for levy-lid lift By Michael Heinbach michae/@masoncounty. com Mason County Fire District 1 Chief Ron Satterfield stopped short of getting a lit- tle greedy after first hearing shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday initial results from Mason . County’s special elec- tion. . When informed his fire district’s prop- erty tax levy-lid lift to maintain and ad- equately fund opera- tions was passing by nearly a 2-1 margin —- 197 votes for (64.8%) versus 107 against Satterfield (35.2%) — Satterfield was completely satisfied. “Well, that’s pretty cool,” Satterfield said when reached Tuesday evening while he vis- ited family in Seattle. “To tell you the truth, I was hoping we’d get a little closer to 70%. But honestly, I’m just very happy that’s it’s passing.” $1,000 of assessed property value.- Hoodsport-based Fire Dis- trict 1 serves a slice of the cor— ridor off the west bank of Hood Canal between Potlatch and Lilliwaup. According to Sat— terfield, calls for service in the district, established in 1947, increased by nearly 42% from 2014 to 2019. However, the district struggled to attract Tuesday’s special volunteers the past 10 years, election results won’t and the 70-year-old chief become official until jokes that he isn’t getting any the Mason County younger. Canvassing ,Board To move MCFD 1 forward certifies them Feb. 21. But more than likely, the district’s levy-lid will rise to $1.50 per and to maintain proper service to those it serves, the district wants to use increased reve- nue from the property-tax levy to help intensify volunteer re- cruitment, add possible paid weekly shifts, and replace self- contained breathing appara— tus masks now considered out of date. Additionally, MCFD 1 wants to build a new truck garage to house two Vehicles and an ambulance. Two fire district vehicles currently sit outdoors, exposed to the ele- ments. Eventually, Satterfield hopes to step down as chief and see Mason County Fire District 1 merge with Fire District 18 (Lake Cushman Fire). He said earlier this year that move would provide the area with a full-time basic life support ambulance based in Hoodsport and two additional district administration posi— tions in order to provide suit- able emergency services to those it serves. But for now, Satterfield re— ' mains confident MCFD 1 has the support of the communi- ty, and says the initial ballot count proves just that. “It’s sometimes kind of hard to read the public’s view here in Hoodsport,” Satterfield said. “But I think we’ve got ourselves a huge silent major- ity that wants to see the fire district move forward toward the future.” I l I I l I FEB. 11 SPECIAL ELECTION Results as of Tuesday’s initial ballot count Total eligible voters: 35,108 Total ballots cast: 13,700 ' Turnout: 39.02% - Grapeview School Distritt No. 54 Replacement of expiring educational programs and operation levy Yes 602 57.51% operations No 443 42.39% Yes 2,040 45.0% Votes/registered voters 1,045/3,620 N0 2,493 55.0% Turnout 23.37% Votes/registered voters 4,538/9,270 Turnout 48.95% Shelton School District No. 309 _ Educational programs and operations M359" (Willy We replacement levy Protection District 1 . yes . 2,23 53.01% . Property tax levy for fireprotectionand . No 1,981 45.99% emergency medical services Votes/registered voters 4,220/11,672 Yes 197 ' 64.8% Turnout 36.15% NO 107 35.2% , Votes/registered voters 304/735 V , Mary M. Knight Turnout 41.36% School District No. 311 ' School education enrichment levy - Compiled by reporter Michael Yes 178 513% Heinbach via data courtesy ofthe Mason No 159 43_7% County Elections Department Votes/registered voters 313/unavailable Turnout unavailable Pioneer SchOol District No. 402 Replacement of expiring educational programs and operations levy Yes 1,679 52.55% No 1,508 47.45% Votes/ registered voters 3,179/8,598 Turnout 36.97% North Mason School District No. 403 School levy for educational support and special election by the numbers: Initial county’s turnout rate 39.02% Eg'Michaeu Heinbach michae/@masoncounty. com Results of an initial ballot count re- leased just after 8 p.m. Tuesday from Mason County’s special election re- vealed eligible voters turned out at an overall rate of 39.02%. Of the county’s 35,108 registered vot- ers, the Mason County Elections Depart- ment counted 13,700 ballots as of Tuesday evening. A second ballot count was expect- ed to be released late afternoon Wednes- day after the Shelton-Mason County Jour- nal went to print. The election’s results won’t become official until certified Feb. 21 by the county’s Canvassing Board. According to the Mason County Elec- tions Department, of the five school district property tax-levy measures oni'l‘uesday’s ballot, the only one residents voted against during the initial ballot count — a North Mason School District replacement levy received the highest voter turnout with a rate of 48.95%. Of the 4,538 ballots count- ed, 2,493 were against the levy (52.55%), and 2,040 voted in favor of it (47 .45%). If passed, the levy would have collect- ed from homeowners in the North Ma- son School District $2.36 per $1,000 of assessed property value for four taxing years beginning in 2021. the school tax—levy measures, with 1,045 ballots counted of 3,620 eligible voters for 28.87%. As of the initial count, a measure to collect $0.88 per $1,000 of as- sessed value in 2021 and 2022, and $0.89 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2023 and 2024, was passing with 57.61% in favor. Voters turned out at a rate of 36.15% to back the Shelton School District’s request to collect and estimated levy rate of $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed value each year from 2021 through 2023 as of the initial results. Voters were for the measure by a count of 2,235 votes (53.01%) to 1,981 (46.99%). Pioneer School District voters were in favor of a measure to tax residents an estimated $1.69 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2021, $1.74 in 2022, and $1.79 in 2023. They voted at a rate of 36.97%. Turnout rate numbers for the Mary M. Knight School District’s levy measure were unavailable as of the Shelton-Mason County Journal’s deadline. The initial bal- lot count results saw residents vote 160- 153 in favor of collecting $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2021 and 2022. More than 40% of eligible voters had ballots counted during the initial tally for Mason County Fire District 1’s prop- erty tax levy lid-lift measure. The mea- sure was passing by a vote of 197-107 as of the first ballot count. The turnout rate in Mason County ‘Fire District 1 was L1, .. .H -m.» . The GrapeView School District posted the lowest voter-turnout percentage of 41.36% at first count. Levies: Shelton, Grapeview, MMK and Pioneer passing continued from page A—1 53.01%. Grapeview’s levy had 602 “yes” votes and 443 “no” votes for 57.61%. Mary M. Knight’s levy has 160 “yes” votes and 153 “no” votes for 51.12% in Mason County, and 18 “yes” votes and 16 “no” votes in Grays Harbor County. Pioneer has 1,670 “yes” votes and 1,508 “no” votes for 52.55%. ' North Mason has 2,040 “yes” votes and 2,493 “no” votes for 45%. The Shelton School Dis- trict’s levy replaces a levy that expires Dec. 31 The levy will collect a maximum of $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. That is expected to raise $5.5 million in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The district reports that the replacement levy provides about 8.5% of the district’s budget.) Superintendent Alex Apos- tle said he wants to see the fi- nal count before he comments on the election results. The Pioneer school Dis- trict’s three-year replacement levy will cost taxpayers about $1.69 per $1,000 of assessed ’property value in 2021, $1.74 in 2022 and $1.79 in 2023. That collects $2,641,258 in 2021, $2,720,495 in 2022 and $2,802,110 in 2023. Levy funds provide about . 21% of the district’s budget, said Superintendent John Gummel. In a pamphlet sent to residents, the district states that passage of the levy will strengthen preschool for chil- dren ages 3 through 5, visual arts, music, STEM-related op- portunities and special educa- tion programs. The levy sup- ports student safety, lower class sizes, health profession- als, counselors and a school resource officer, extracur- ricular and co-curricular ac- tivities, and teacher develop- ment. The levy would sustain maintenance and operations, and fees paid to the Shelton School District to educate the district’s secondary students. The Mary M. Knight School District seeks to pass a two— year enrichment levy request. ' The district is asking for a col- lection of $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The levy would collect $560,397 in 2021, and $655,664 in-2022. The district said the money would be used to fund athlet- ics, technology, facilities, food service, special education and other programs. The levy is passing in both Mason and Grays Harbor counties, said Superintendent Matt Mallery. “The community has a long tradition of supporting the Mary M. Knight School Dis- trict and We are grateful for the voters for their continued support of .the children and staff of the district,” he said. The ‘North Mason School District asked voters to ap- prove a four-year replacement levy. Property owners would pay $2.36 per $1,000 of as- sessed valuation, and the dis- trict would collect $5,986,129 in 2021, $6,285.435 in 2022, $6,599,707 in 2023 and $6,929,692 in 2024. The district states levy dol- lars are 16.4% of the annual budget. According to the district’s website, if the levy passes, 37% of the money would go to instructional support and ser- vices, 23% for student safety, 16% to special education, 8% to transportation, 7% to school counseling and nursing ser- vices, 5% to food services, and 4% to athletics and extracur- ricular activities. In a'statement to the Jour- nal, North Mason Superinten- dent Dana Rosenbach, wrote, “We would like to take a moment to thank those who supported our levy. While the outcome is not what we hoped for, we as- sure you that the North Mason ’ School District will always put the needs of the students first. We need our community’s help in determining how best to use our resources to meet the needs of all our students. “The need for additional op- erating dollars still remains. That is why we will take this opportunity to reassess the levy and present a new pro- posal to the community in the upcoming months. We need to come together for the future and viability. of our district.” The Grapeview School Dis-- trict’s levy replaces an expir- ing levy and collects 88 cents per $1,000 of assessed property values from 2021 through 2024. The maximum levy amount would collect $753,020 in 2021, $751,925 in 2022, $776,529 in 2023 and $807,343 in 2024. The levy money represents 22% of the district’s budget. “This is wonderful news for our students, school district and community,” said Superin- tendent Kurt Hilyard. “Thank you, voters, for your ongoing support of our district.”