Yacolt, nearby residents backing North Country levy

Voters showed strong support for funding North Country EMS Tuesday, but not enough people have voted to assure the measure’s passage.

North Country provides emergency services to the town of Yacolt and a swath of sparsely populated rural area formally known as Clark County Emergency Medical Service District 1, and depends on levy money to fund its ambulances and paramedics. The agency is seeking a one-year property tax levy of $1.10 per $1,000 of assessed value to fund its services for three years. The levy provides 25 percent of North Country’s operating expenses.

In Yacolt, the measure received 139 yes votes and 86.88 percent approval, but it needs at least 187 yes votes to pass.

In the rural area, it received 1,856 yes votes and 77.98 approval, but needs at least 2,085 yes votes to pass.

In addition, it needs at least 60 percent approval in both jurisdictions to pass.

More results will be released Wednesday afternoon. The election is due to be certified Aug. 17.

By law, election validation numbers are determined using a formula based on the number of voters who cast ballots in the last general election — in this case, last November’s high-turnout presidential election.

North Country’s leaders anticipated the potential hurdle imposed by low voter turnout. Should the measure fail this time, it will be placed on the November ballot for reconsideration.