Recapping the August 2024 Local Ballot Measure Results

It’s election season again, folks. While many people are understandably focused on the ongoing presidential and statewide electoral races, let’s not forget about all the important local ballot measures around Washington State.

Local governments placed 90 ballot measures before voters in the August primary election, and county canvassing boards certified the results on August 20.

As usual, there were far too many ballot measures for me to write about them all, so my apologies if I don’t get to your agency's particular ballot measure. But here are some of the results that caught my eye, along with links to local news articles (whenever possible) for more information.

If you want to see a recap of all 90 ballot measures, visit MRSC’s Local Ballot Measure Database. (Select “Filter by Ballot Categories” and then “Most Recent Election.”)

Law Enforcement & Public Safety

The issue of law enforcement funding has been contentious in recent years, but several communities voted to increase public safety funding this election cycle.

In Snoqualmie, voters overwhelmingly approved a 0.1% public safety sales tax to sustain police and fire department levels of service, which have been impacted by inflation.

Gig Harbor voters easily approved a similar public safety sales tax increase for law enforcement staffing, reducing homelessness, and improving behavioral health. (However, city voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed levy lid lift in April that would have funded various other governmental services.)

In Lincoln County, voters in the small town of Odessa approved a levy lid lift to increase law enforcement funding, allowing the police department to improve staffing.

In Airway Heights, voters narrowly approved a levy lid lift to support the police department, which includes hiring more officers, purchasing additional patrol cars, and combating fentanyl trafficking.

However, voters in Des Moines said no to a proposed levy lid lift for public safety and increased police staffing.

Fire & Emergency Medical Services

In Pierce County, voters approved annexing the Town of Eatonville to South Pierce Fire & Rescue (SPFR). The town has contracted with SPFR for services since 2015.

There were several fire-related bond measures on the ballot, but the results were mixed. Voters approved a $26 million bond measure in Camas for a new fire headquarters station and other improvements, a $16 million bond measure in neighboring Washougal for a new fire station along with shared facilities with the police station, and a $700,000 bond measure in Douglas County Fire District No. 5 (Mansfield) for new firefighting equipment.

Two other bonds received more than 50% support but fell short of the required 60% supermajority for bonds: a $30 million bond measure for Pierce County Fire District No. 10 to build a new fire station in Fife, and a $13 million bond measure for Whatcom County Fire District No. 1 to build a new fire station and headquarters to replace an outdated fire station currently located within the Sandy Point floodplain.

Voters easily approved new fire benefit charges for the Wenatchee Valley Fire Department and South King Fire & Rescue, as well as the continuation of existing fire benefit charges for the Valley Regional Fire Authority and South (Snohomish) County Fire & EMS. According to a quick count from our Local Ballot Measure Database, it appears there are about 17 fire districts that currently impose benefit charges (including the two new additions).

Meanwhile, fire districts successfully passed 28 of 33 proposed levy lid lifts (more on that in a moment).

Transportation

In Cowlitz County, voters overwhelmingly rejected expanding the Cowlitz Transit Authority (RiverCities Transit) to include the unincorporated Beacon Hill and Lexington areas. RiverCities Transit started a pilot bus route to the area two years ago, funded by a state grant. The proposed annexation would have increased the sales tax rate in the annexation area by 0.3% and provided funding to continue the route.

In Covington, voters approved a 10-year, 0.2% transportation benefit district (TBD) sales tax for streets, sidewalks, snow response, and various other transportation improvements and maintenance. This sales tax will replace the city’s existing $20 vehicle license fee. Voters had narrowly rejected several previous attempts to enact a TBD sales tax.

Parks & Recreation

In Anacortes, a proposal to convert the existing park and recreation district into a metropolitan park district failed by the slimmest of margins — more on that at the bottom of this blog.

In the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park & Recreation District, a proposed $10 million bond measure to renovate the aquatic center fell short of the required 60% supermajority.

Voters in Selah approved a six-year park and recreation service area levy to fund swimming pool operations. The pool opened in 2019 and was funded by a bond measure, but several previous operations levies had fallen short of the required 60% supermajority and the swimming pool was operating on a single $200,000 donation. Without the levy, the pool would have had to shut down just five years after its opening.

Voters in the Upper Chelan Valley (Leavenworth) also approved a six-year park and recreation service area levy for the swimming pool, increasing the existing levy amount and preventing significant cuts.

Ports

In Snohomish County, voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal for the Port of Everett to expand to cover almost the entire county. The port district currently serves just the Everett area — roughly 15% of the county’s population — but the district had hoped to expand to provide economic development tools countywide and noted that 14 port districts in the state are countywide.

Other Notable Ballot Measures

In San Juan County, voters approved a levy lid lift for the library district to maintain current operations and accommodate moderate growth in future years.

Voters in Everett rejected a proposed levy lid lift for a wide range of city services, including animal shelters, parks, libraries, neighborhood groups, street maintenance, the arts, and social services. The city says it has a structural budget deficit and is trying to avoid cuts.

In an advisory vote, over 55% of voters in West Richland opposed lifting the city’s ban on cannabis sales. City officials had estimated that allowing cannabis retail sales could generate up to $161,000 per year in revenue for the city. Cannabis retail sales are largely prohibited in the Tri-Cities area, with only a handful of stores operating.

In Clallam County, voters approved a levy lid lift for Olympic Medical Center that would nearly double the public hospital district’s levy rate to the maximum $0.75 per $1,000 assessed value. Public hospital districts, especially in rural areas, have faced many funding challenges in recent years.

How Did Levy Lid Lifts Fare?

Almost half of the ballot measures this election (41 of 90) were levy lid lifts, a tool which allows taxing districts to increase their property tax levy rates above the normal 101% levy limit. Thirty-three of those lid lifts were submitted by fire districts.

Last April I wrote about single-year versus multi-year levy lid lifts and how multi-year lid lifts could be a tool to cope with inflation, since the multi-year variety allows a jurisdiction to exceed the 101% limit every year for up to six years.

While I encourage you to read the whole blog, my general conclusion was that although there are many factors that contribute to the success or failure of a ballot measure, voters probably don’t care that much about the single-year vs. multi-year distinction as long as they feel that the money will be used for a good purpose.

I was curious to check in again a year and a half later and see how that conclusion seems to be holding up, and specifically whether taxpayers might be more reluctant to support multi-year lid lifts today, after years of continued inflation.

Of the 41 lid lifts on the ballot, just over half (22) were multi year, while the remaining 19 were single year. (Multi-year lid lifts can only be placed on the ballot during a primary or general election, while single-year lid lifts can be voted upon at any election.)

Overall, roughly 74% of single-year lid lifts passed, while an even higher 86% of multi-year lid lifts passed. You can see the breakdown below.

I’m not saying multi-year lid lifts are more likely to pass — just that voters probably don’t make much distinction between single-year/multi-year lid lifts as long as they support what the money will be used for and don’t think the initial tax increase in Year 1 is excessive.

Periodic Reminder That Every Vote Counts

It’s not uncommon for at least one election to go down to wire. This year we have the state lands commissioner race, where the second and third-place candidates were separated by just 49 votes out of 1.9 million cast. The race was so close that a mandatory hand recount was required by state law, although the recount only changed the final margin by two votes.

Close elections also happen at the local level. In Anacortes, a proposal to replace the existing Fidalgo Park & Recreation District with a new metropolitan park district failed with 49.98% of the vote. There were over 8,800 votes cast, and if just two voters had switched their votes from “no” to “yes” — or alternatively, if four non-voters had cast “yes” ballots — the measure would have passed.

Unlike races for elective office, local ballot measures are not subject to mandatory recounts no matter how close the margin is, so there are no ballot measure recounts unless someone requests (and is willing to pay for) one.

Every. Vote. Counts. Especially in local elections.