SANDPOINT — After a close race early on, the West Bonner County School District levy pulled ahead to pass as the finish votes were counted shortly after 11 p.m. 

The measure received  2,101 yes votes, or 54.54%, to 1,751 no votes, or 45.46%. It's the district third attempt to pass a levy, and one that prevented the likely closure of two of the district's three elementary schools.

Funds from the two-year, $2.35 million-per-year maintenance and operation levy will go toward teacher and staff salaries, funds to operate the school library and for copy paper, fund the district's sports and extracurricular activities and pay for one bus during each of the levy's two years. It will also restart the district's music and arts programs, fund a nurse and school psychologists and cover utilities at the closed junior high school.

In the weeks leading up to the election, WBCSD officials prepared two plans — one that will be implemented now that the two-year, $2.35 million-per-year maintenance and operation levy is approved, the other that would have been implanted if voters had rejected the measure. Among those plans were the likely closure of the outlying Idaho Hill and Priest Lake elementary schools.

With all votes counted, the Sagle Fire District levy was rejected by voters. The permanent override levy, which would have authorized a levy of $750,000 per year, saw 1,253 no votes, or 62.84%, to 741 yes votes, or 37.16%.

Voters also rejected a Northside Fire District levy vote to approve a permanent override levy of $1,245,812 per year. The levy had 1,059 no votes, or 65.45%, to 559 yes votes, or 34.55%.

In the Westside Fire District levy, voters rejected the proposed override levy, with 402 no votes or 54.25%, to 339 yes votes, or 45.75%. The measure would have authorized a $810,358 per year permanent override levy.

Currently, property owners in the Sagle, Westside and Northside districts pay $88, $51 and $20, respectively, per $100,000 in taxable assessed value each year. If the proposed levies had passed, residents’ new amounts would have been $122, $122 and $61— an increase of $34, $71 and $41, respectively. 

For Sagle, a budget increase would have gone to repair facilities and hire two firefighters to support the Sagle and Careywood areas. 

For Westside, funding would have boosted the number of firefighters on call per day to rise from one to three, and help the district replace a fire engine. A successful levy in Northside would enable the district to staff its Samuels station, which would reduce response times significantly at the north end of the district. 

Also on the ballot in both Kootenai and Bonner counties is a two-year Lakeland Joint School District levy of $7.52 million per year. With all votes counted in both counties, the measure passed with a combined 5,592 yes votes, or roughly 66%, to 2,773 no votes, or roughly 33%.

In the Spirit Lake Fire Protection District levy, which would authorize a two-year levy increase of $477,000 per year starting in 2026, also failed as it did not get the 66% majority needed to pass.

In Bonner County, the measure garnered 565 yes votes in Bonner County and 762 yes votes in Kootenai County for a combined 1,327 yes votes, or roughly 64.5%. The measure had 469 no votes in Bonner County and 260 no votes in Kootenai County for a combined 729 no votes, or 35.5%

In the West Bonner Cemetery Maintenance District levy, the measure passed with 1,384 yes votes, or 60.23%, to 914 no votes, or 39.77%.

Ponderay voters went to the poll on a local option, non-property tax. With all votes counted, the measure passed with 90 yes votes, or 78.95%, to 24 no votes, or 21.05%.