Ready or not, an election is coming. Here’s a rundown of tax measures on the ballot
Check your mailboxes, Pierce County voters.
Ballots were mailed Friday for the Feb. 11 special election.
This year, school bonds and levies dominate the local voters’ pamphlet.
Three Pierce County school districts — Tacoma, Sumner-Bonney Lake and Eatonville — have bonds on the ballot. Bonds require a 60 percent supermajority to pass.
Ten school districts with Pierce County voters — Sumner-Bonney Lake, Eatonville, Yelm, Orting, Peninsula, Dieringer, Clover Park, Auburn, Carbonado and White River — also have levies on the ballot. Levies require a simple majority, or 50 percent plus one vote, to pass.
Ballots are due 8 p.m. on Feb. 11.
Here’s a run down of measures being voted on in Pierce County. For more information, visit co.pierce.wa.us/328/Elections.
Tacoma Public Schools
▪ $535 million general obligation bond to replace or renovate eight schools and implement district-wide facility and security updates. If passed, the cost to the average homeowner will increase $6.79 per month ($81.48 annually) for Tacoma schools.
Sumner-Bonney Lake School District
▪ $205 million general obligation bond to replace Sumner High School, including a new gym, pool and performing arts center and to purchase land for a new school in Tehaleh. An athletic field will also be constructed on the land. If passed, the cost to a $300,000 homeowner will increase $11.25 per month ($135 annually) for Sumner-Bonney Lake schools.
▪ Replacement of a Educational Programs and Operations Levy equaling $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Expenses include safety and security, building maintenance, student supervision, special education, extracurricular activities and other services.
Eatonville School District
▪ $4 million general obligation bond to renovate the Eatonville High School athletic facility, upgrading turf and track, seating, lighting, speaker systems and walkways. If passed, the cost to a $250,000 homeowner will increase $5.40 per month ($65 annually) for Eatonville schools.
▪ Replacement of a Educational Programs and Operations Levy equaling $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Expenses include staff salaries, instructional materials, special programs, activities and sports, technology, transportation and facility maintenance.
Clover Park School District
▪ Replacement of a Educational Programs and Operations Levy equaling $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Expenses include supplies, instructional materials, textbooks, technology, support staff and transportation.
Orting School District
▪ Replacement of a Educational Programs and Operations Levy equaling $2.07 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Expenses include staffing and substitutes, classroom instructional materials, transportation, technology, safety and security, and after school activities and athletics.
Peninsula School District
▪ Replacement of a Educational Programs and Operations Levy equaling $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Expenses include staff, special education, athletics, extracurricular activities, routine maintenance and safety and security.
Dieringer School District
▪ Replacement of a Educational Programs and Operations Levy equaling $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Expenses include staffing, supplies and materials, transportation, extracurricular programs, special education and facility maintenance.
Yelm Community Schools
▪ Replacement of a Educational Programs and Operations Levy equaling $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Expenses include special education, staff, technology, athletics, extracurricular activities, class materials and training.
Carbonado School District
▪ Replacement of a Educational Programs and Operations Levy equaling $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Expenses include teachers, librarians and other staff, technology, athletics, arts, safety programs, classroom materials, and maintenance.
White River School District
▪ Replacement of a Educational Programs and Operations Levy equaling $1 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Expenses include security, nurses, counselors, athletic programs and special education.
Auburn School District
▪ Replacement of a Educational Programs and Operations Levy equaling $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Expenses include athletics and activities, staff, special education programs and more.
▪ Replacement of a Technology Capital Projects Levy totaling $8.53 million annually for the next six years, starting at 42 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation in 2021. Expenses include upgrade of a wireless network throughout all schools and maintenance of the 1:1 allocation of Chromebooks for teachers and grades K-12 students.
Valley Regional Fire Authority
▪ Property tax levy restoration equaling $1 per $1,000 assessed valuation. The measure applies to a small portion of Pierce County voters in the Auburn, Dieringer and Sumner-Bonney Lake school districts. Average median homeowners would see an approximate increase of $10 per year in property taxes.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 5:15 AM.
