CHIMACUM — After the defeat of a $29.1 million construction bond proposal in Tuesday’s special election, the Chimacum School District is gearing up to resubmit the same measure, perhaps as early as the April 29 special election.
“We crafted this measure very carefully,” said Superintendent Rick Thompson.
“People already know what we want and what we’re doing, so we don’t have to explain it again.”
Meeting next week
The district’s options for another try at passing a bond proposal is the only item on the agenda for a special School Board meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Chimacum High School library, 91 West Valley Road.
Wednesday’s totals, the latest count, showed the proposed Chimacum School District bond was approved by 2,710 votes, or 57.97 percent, and opposed by 1,965 votes, or 42.03 percent.
This reflected a voter turnout of 56.8 percent, according to Jefferson County Elections Supervisor Betty Johnson.
Because a bond measure requires 60 percent plus one vote for approval, the measure would have passed if 86 people who voted in opposition had favored approval.
Thompson sent a memo to district staff that said: “We are less than 100 votes from passage.”
If the district chooses to resubmit the measure in April, much of its effort will be focused on getting more voters to participate, Thompson said.
Decision by Feb. 26
To submit a measure for the April 26 election to the Jefferson County auditor, a resolution must be submitted by Feb. 26.
The district had requested a $29.1 million bond that would have financed the expansion of Chimacum Creek Primary School, with the rest earmarked for upgrades of technology, heating and electrical, and the construction of an all-weather track at the school district’s main campus.
Moved to Wednesday
The Jefferson County auditor had scheduled a second ballot count today but moved it to Wednesday “because a couple of races were close and we didn’t want for people to be waiting on pins and needles,” Johnson said.
In the second count, support for the Chimacum bond fell from 57.97 percent to 57.14 percent.
April is the next date Chimacum could propose the bond. Other upcoming election dates are the Aug. 2 primary, the Nov. 8 presidential election or in February 2017, when the district plans to run a replacement maintenance and operations levy.
The best options are April and February, Thompson said, because the primary takes place over the summer when fewer voters are around and the general election has a long ballot “where school measures tend to get lost.”
While the Chimacum measure lost, a Port Townsend bond proposal drew approval from 73.23 percent of the electorate, with 4,830 votes supporting it and 1,766 votes, or 26.77 percent, in opposition.
Thompson said Chimacum would seek advice from the Port Townsend district in an effort to emulate its success.
Port Townsend bond advocates “have already contacted us and offered to provide some suggestions,” Thompson said.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
