Voters make their choice on fire district, parks and rec proposals
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 2 months AGO
Aleanah Lopez, left, and Robin Rutty open ballots at the Grant County Auditor’s Office Tuesday afternoon.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | November 8, 2023 1:20 AM
EPHRATA — Voters in two fire districts decided the fate of requests to raise levy assessment rates, and decided whether or not to form a parks and recreation district in the Quincy area, in the general election Tuesday. Washtucna voters also decided whether or not to approve a levy to operate the Washtucna pool.
A proposal to establish a parks and rec district in and around Quincy received 665 yes votes and 630 no votes. The proposal asked for a levy of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to help pay to build and maintain an indoor activities arena in Quincy and a new Quincy Aquatic Center. The proposed district includes the cities of Quincy and George, and all property within the boundaries of the Quincy School District, except the section in Douglas County. It needed a bare majority to pass.
Voters in Grant County Fire District 3 voted on a proposal from fire district officials for a “levy lid lift,” which would raise the amount levied in property taxes to $1.30 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The proposal received 539 yes votes and 362 no votes. It needed a bare majority, 50% plus one vote, to pass.
Grant County Fire District 7 also was asking for a levy lid lift, raising the levy assessment to $1.36 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The proposal received 381 yes votes and 214 no votes. It too needed a bare majority to pass.
Voters in Washtucna considered a one-year levy proposal for the operation of the Washtucna swimming pool, levying 56 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. Voters cast 59 yes votes and 35 no votes.
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