Voters in Vancouver on Tuesday approved a levy lid lift to generate about $15 million a year in extra funding for the Vancouver Fire Department. A school construction bond in Ridgefield and a replacement levy in Evergreen Public Schools were failing, while levies in other districts were having mixed results.
Backers of Vancouver’s Proposition 2, which was passing with 52.73 percent of the vote as of Tuesday evening, say the increased expenditures are needed to improve emergency response times throughout the city, with about $60 million going toward replacing and retrofitting fire stations and $12.7 million going toward staffing, operations and equipment costs.
The Ridgefield School District was falling short of the 60 percent supermajority needed to approve a $62.5 million bond to fund district expansion and construction projects to support the rapid population growth that’s projected over the next few years. The bond had 57.31 percent support as of Tuesday evening, but in order to pass, the bond requires a 60 percent supermajority. Similar measures had the same face at the ballot box twice in 2020.
Voters in Evergreen Public Schools were rejecting a three-year replacement educational programs and operations levy, which would have replaced the district’s current levy when it expires in December. The levy received only 40.61 percent of the vote, with 59.39 percent opposed. The levy would have started at $1.92 per $1,000 in assessed value and increased to $2.12 per $1,000 in the second and third years.
