Voters shoot down Colfax levy

(SEE LEVY GRID IN THE WEEKLY PAPER SECTION, PG. 2)

For the first time since 1970, voters in the Colfax School District denied a levy request Tuesday night.

The initial count of the election showed the district’s two-year request received 527 votes for 42 percent approval. The 719 “no” votes cast by voters accounted for the remaining 58 percent.

The Colfax rejection was posted while voters in Colton, Endicott, LaCrosse, Oakesdale, Rosalia, St. John, Steptoe and Tekoa districts approved levy requests which now require a simple majority.

The only other rejections Tuesday went to three town of Farmington measures which required 60 percent approval.

Elections officials said Wednesday 120 ballots remain to be counted in the Colfax returns. Another 280 ballots from elsewhere in the county had yet to be counted.

Colfax Supt. Michael Morgan was unsure Wednesday morning as to whether the board would launch another levy request this spring. Morgan said he expects the amount requested will be less if and when the board decides to seek another round.

“It certainly would not be smart to ask for more,” he said.

The request this year, $1.3 million for 2011, was $400,000 higher than the current school levy. Board members decided to go for a higher amount to insure against potential losses in state funding.

The state provides funding for property-poor districts through levy equalization. Legislators proposed eliminating the program to balance a multi-billion dollar state budget deficit.

Elimination of the levy equalization would result in a $325,000 cut in Colfax district revenue from the state.

In the event the state revenue stream held up, the district had vowed to cut the levy rate, if approved and not collect the total sum.

“It was a gamble. There was quite a bit of discussion as to whether the school should have tried to look at this as an insurance standpoint,” said Morgan. “But the reality is, we all take out insurance for our cars and health and house and life.”

Gov. Chris Gregoire included elimination of levy equalization in her first budget request, but has since backed off that idea. Leaders in the state senate have also said they will not look to cut the program this session.

One idea being floated in Olympia is to leave the program in place, but to raise the limit on how much schools could ask from their voters.

Don Deen, retired Colfax CPA, was an outspoken critic of the district’s budget request. He took out an advertisement in the Colfax Daily Bulletin criticizing the school board for not making sufficient efforts to cut costs.

Deen Wednesday said he hoped Tuesday night’s results would result in greater citizen participation in school board decisions.

“I’m not really overjoyed, you know,” he said. “I hope only one thing. That this would wake people up and make them take an interest on what goes on in the school board and setting the budget.”

Morgan also called for more public involvement.

“I would like to see the board consider having an open meeting to let people come in and discuss openly what they would like to see funded or cut with levy funds,” said Morgan.

Deen’s advertisement also brought to the attention of the county elections office an error on the ballots. The school board approved seeking a 2011 request of $1,300,000 and a 2012 request of $1,350,000. Auditor Eunice Coker’s staff put $1,300,000 for both years on the ballot.

To fix the error, she mailed voters a new issue of special paper ballots.

Morgan credited elections staffers for correcting the situation, but said the second round of ballots may have had in impact.

“Certainly, to have to re-vote about something at the time that some negative stuff came out in the paper might have changed some minds,” he said.

A second request could go before voters in either April or May. Morgan said the latter date would be more likely because it would give the board more time to decide on their request.

Colfax voters shot down a school levy amidst the fury of a locally-spearheaded taxpayer’s revolt in 1970. The school board requested $251,440 in the March election. A majority approved, but the count fell short of 60 percent by 48 votes.

The board members then dropped the request by $26,440 to $225,000 and received 65 percent approval in a May election.

Tuesday returns showed Farmington voters defeating the town’s three propositions for funding city operations.

The $12,000 request for street maintenance received 24 yes votes for 57 percent approval, shy of the 60 percent needed. The $15,000 current expense levy received 25 votes for 59 percent approval and the $5,000 equipment levy received 20 votes for 48 percent approval.

Tuesday night’s Farmington count included 42 ballots. Returns from the remaining ballots and canvas board decisions on questionable ballots could sway the results.

Rosalia’s 2011 street levy for $50,000 received support from 65 percent of voters.