Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Special election gets underway
RITZVILLE — Voters in nearly every community of Adams County will be getting Feb. 13 special election ballots in the mail this week.
Voters will have a choice on a number of school levies, including the Endicott. North Franklin, Odessa, Benge, LaCrosse, Warden, Lind and Ritzville school districts.
A Park and Recreation District No. 4 levy is also on the ballot.
That levy is designed to collect $65,000 in property taxes — based on a collection of 15 cents $1,000 of assessed valuation — to pay for repair and maintenance of the slide at Ritzville Water Park as well as a new diving board.
If it passes, the owner of property assessed at $300,000 would pay $45 in taxes toward the upgrades.
In addition to the water park levy, Ritzville-area voters will be deciding the fate of three Ritzville School District measures.
The ballot includes a two-year, $2.3 million replacement programs and operations levy. The measure would collect $1.98 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2025 and $1.83 in 2026. The owner property would pay $594 in 2025 and $549 in 2026, if the measure passes.
The second Ritzville School District measure asks voters if they support a two-year replacement levy to collect $100,000 for technology improvements. The current technology levy expires at the end of this year and the proposed replacement levy would collect $12 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2025 and 2026 to raise $100,000.
The funds would be used to acquire and install new computer equipment and upgrade the district’s technology systems. The cost for the owner of property valued at $300,000 would be $36 per year, if approved.
The final Ritzville School District measure asked voters if they would support changing the School Board makeup from five district-based seats to three district-based and two at-large seats.
Supporters of the measure believe the change will help recruit School Board candidates district-wide.
Lind-area voters will see two measures.
The first two-year replacement levy is for programs and operations. It would collect $1.09 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2025 and 99 cents in 2026, for an estimated total of $1.3 million. The owner of property valued at $200,000 would pay $218 in taxes in 2025 and $198 in 2026.
The Lind School District is also asking voters to support a replacement two-year levy for technology on school campuses.
The measure would collect 13 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation in both 2025 and 2026. The owner of property assessed at $200,000 would pay $26 each year to modernize and upgrade computer and technology systems in the district, if approved by voters. That measure would raise $100,000 over the next two years.
Othello and Washtucna voters won’t be receiving special election ballots, as there are no levies currently proposed for those communities.
Other measures
Ballot measures around the county include:
• Benge — A two-year programs and operations replacement levy of $1.47 in 2025 and $1.43 in 2026, for a total of $72,000.
• Endicott — A two-year, $504,000 replacement programs and operations levy of $1.65 per $1,000 of assessed valuation and a two-year, $398,000 health, safety and facility improvement levy of $1.24 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
• LaCrosse — A four-year, $1.6 million programs and operations replacement levy. The levy would collect $1.52 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2025, $147 in 2026, $1.43 in 2027 and $1.39 in 2028, if approved.
• North Franklin School District — A two-year, $4.925 million programs and operations replacement levy of $1.57 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
• Odessa — A one-year programs and operations replacement levy of $1.89 and a one-year school improvement levy of 38 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation for a total of $125,000.
• Warden — A two-year, $3.577 million replacement programs and operations levy of $2.20 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2025 and $2.30 in 2026. Voters will also see a two-year, replacement technology levy of 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2025 and 2026 to pay for technology upgrade.
Ballots for the special election must be returned or postmarked by Feb. 13, elections officials said.
Drop boxes are located in Ritzville and Lind.
In Lind, a drop box is located outside Town Hall, 116½ W. Second St.
In Ritzville, drop boxes can be found at City Hall, 216 W. Main Ave., and at the Adams County Auditor’s Office in the courthouse at 210 W. Broadway Ave., Suite 200.
Roger Harnack is co-owner and publisher of Free Press Publishing. An award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher who grew up in Eastern Washington, he's one of only two Washington state journalists ever to receive the international Golden Quill for editorial/commentary writing. Roger is committed to preserving local media, and along with it, a local voice for Eastern Washington.
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