Park and school officials had plenty of hugs to go around Tuesday night, both for each other and for their computers.
The Web site at the Island County Auditor’s Office told them what the wanted to hear: Levy votes for both the South Whidbey School District and the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District were showing two big thumbs up.
At an election night gathering most of the evening at the Useless Bay Country Club, parks and school supporters watched a strong return roll in favoring two more years of funding for both taxing districts. As of Friday, 71 percent of 4,299 voters had said yes to a $3.2-million replacement levy for the school district, while 69 percent of 4,279 voters gave their support to a replacement levy for the parks district.
Curt Gordon, a commissioner with the parks district, knew the vote was in the bag at about 10 p.m. Tuesday when he got a call from schools Superintendent Martin Laster. He was just dialing up the auditor’s Web site for the vote count when Laster said both issues were carrying.
“Marty Laster called and said ‘Did you see that?'” Gordon said.
Both issues received more than enough votes to validate the election. In fact, voter turnout was better this time around than in several recent levy votes. In all, more than 7,000 South Whidbey voters cast ballots at the polls.
In addition to the schools levy, which will cost property owners $1.47 for every $1,000 in real property they own, the parks levy will continue to tax at the same rate it has for the past six years, $1.15 per $1,000.
Laster was thankful after the totals came in.
“People really came through for us,” he said.
Both ballot issues were approved at a level far higher than the 60 percent required. But in other school districts around the state, such as Monroe, Arlington and Darrington, levies were failing or were close to failing this week. Laster said South Whidbey may join these districts and others in proposing a change to the state constitution that would allow school levies to pass on simple majority instead of a plurality, as is the case with stadium levies.
“It would be nice to be on a level playing field,” he said.
