PORT ANGELES — Voters in three Clallam County public school districts — Port Angeles, Sequim and Quillayute Valley — are being asked to approve levies during the Feb. 14 election.
As of Friday, 10,480 ballots had been returned, said Ken Hugoniot, the elections coordinator for Clallam County. That’s 21.94 percent of the 47,758 ballots that have been issued.
Registered Clallam County voters number 20,840 in the Port Angeles School District, 23,623 in the Sequim School District and 3,291 in the Quillayute Valley School District.
The Sequim and Quillayute school districts also have a few voters in Jefferson County. Of the 313 registered voters in the Sequim district, 66 had returned ballots by Friday, for a turnout of 21.09 percent. In the West End’s Quillayute Valley district, 12 ballots had been returned by the 152 registered voters for a turnout of 7.89 percent.
The Port Angeles School District is asking voters to approve a $36.4 million education programs and operation replacement levy that would fund 22 percent of the district’s daily operating budget.
Officials have stressed it is not a new tax.
If approved, the district would levy $9.1 million annually for four years starting in 2018. It is a renewal of the levy approved by voters in 2015, which is set to expire at the end of 2017.
The district estimates taxpayers would pay up to $3.30 per $1,000 of assessed property value, or about $660 annually for a home worth about $200,000.
The Sequim School District is asking its voters to approve two levies: a capital projects levy and a renewal of the educational programs and operation levy.
The capital projects levy would fund demolition of the unused portion of Sequim Community School — which was found unsafe for students in 2012 — allowing the district to qualify for $4.3 million in state matching funds for new school construction.
The district would levy $681,000 in 2018, $1.5 million in 2019 and $3.5 million in 2020. The estimated levy rates would be $0.16, $0.36 and $0.81 per $1,000 of assessed value, respectfully.
The $26.5 million educational programs and operation levy would allow the district to levy $6,324,000 in 2018, $6,524,000 in 2019, $6,724,000 in 2020 and $6,924,000 in 2021.
The estimated rates would be $1.52, $1.54, $1.55, and $1.57 per $1,000 assessed value, respectfully.
The educational programs and operation levy replaces the current levy, which expires at the end of 2017.
The Quillayute Valley School District is asking its voters to approve a replacement maintenance and operations levy.
The levy would provide about 13 percent of the district’s $29 million annual budget for four years.
The levy would collect $714,304 annually, matched by the state at $3,188,144 each year.
The levy rate is estimated at $1.48 per $1,000 of assessed value.
It replaces the levy expiring at the end of 2017.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.
