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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tus masks now considered out
of date.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.”