A Pierce Transit proposal to raise the sales tax to pay for bus service was losing by 716 votes Monday.
That’s a bit more than the 695 votes that separated the votes for and against Proposition 1 after Sunday’s release of election returns.
The measure would raise the sales tax by three-tenths of 1 percentage point to help the agency recover from the financial wallop it says it took from the recession. Pierce Transit officials say that without the additional revenue, they could no longer provide weekend service or buses after 7 p.m.
About 10,000 ballots remain to be counted in Pierce County.
Another election also hangs on those votes: A tax measure for Fire District No. 23 in Ashford, Elbe and Alder. The Fire District is seeking to raise its property tax levy from $1.03 per $1,000 of assessed value to $1.50. Without the increase, supporters say, the fire district would be forced to reduce services.
The fire measure was passing by three votes as of Monday.
kim.bradford@thenewstribune.com
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