COYLE — Voters overwhelmingly approved a renewal of a six-year levy to keep the Laurel B. Johnson Community Center open.
Jefferson County Parks District No. 1 sought approval of a rate of 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, the same as the past six years, to pay for operations and maintenance.
The levy measure, called Proposition 1, needed a 60 percent supermajority to pass.
In the initial count of ballots Tuesday night, the measure was approved by 77.65 percent of the ballots counted.
Those who voted for the measure numbered 132, while those who opposed it numbered 38, or 22.35 percent.
Board Treasurer Richard Hull said that if the measure had failed, the parks district would have had no sources of revenue to keep the community center open.
Passage also allows the district to receive additional funds from timber sales, Hull said.
Board member Cathy Bohman said the center is the only public building on the Toandos Peninsula.
Hull said the parks district’s final budget in 2018 was $24,100, and its budget for this year is slightly more at $27,219.
Expenses include annual insurance and operating utilities such as telephone and internet service, propane heat, and electricity, as well as maintaining a commercial kitchen.