Measures receive strong okays in last election count in kitchen

All six levy measures rolled up strong yes votes in Tuesday night’s special election count which covered 44 percent of ballots mailed to voters Jan. 21. Voters in Colton, Garfield, Lamont and Palouse all gave school levy proposals overwhelming support.

Rosalia voters gave 67 percent approval to the town’s annual $50,000 levy request for funding to maintain the city’s streets. Eighty percent of voters in the St. John Cemetery District gave the thumbs up to the district’s request to lift its levy lid to the maximum.

Initial returns included a count of 1,457 of the 3,294 ballots mailed out to registered voters in the six districts.

Another count is set for this Friday. Elections Supervisor Debbie Hooper said about 100 ballots are on hand to be counted.

The county canvass board will meet Feb. 22 and 23 to review questionable ballots. Certification of Tuesday night’s election is set for Feb. 23.

Tuesday’s election marked the final time Whitman County elections staffers will count ballots in the kitchen of the Public Service Building. The crew will soon begin moving into the county’s newly remodeled half-million dollar elections office. Elections workers also maintained a poll site in the county commissioners’ meeting room Tuesday for the final time.

Elections workers have been preparing and counting ballots in the Public Service Building kitchen since 2008. After a report from the Secretary of State’s office criticized the county’s ballot security measures in a 2007 inspection, elections were moved out of the county’s vault in the courthouse across the thruway from the jail.

The remodel of the new space, in a building at Main and Island streets that the county purchased from Harrison Electric, was funded with a combination of a $360,000 grant from the federal Help America Vote Act and county funds. Crews from James Elmer Construction, Spokane, began the remodel last July. The remodel was completed last month, but Auditor Eunice Coker said crews will not be ready to move in furniture and equipment until after this election is finalized.

Remodel costs were $443,000. A $105,571 roof was put on the building in 2009.

- Town of Rosalia, $50,000 for street fund at a rate of $2.59 per $1,000 assessed value - yes 101, no 50 for 67 percent approval.

- Colton School District, $463,179 for maintenance and operations in 2012 at a rate of $4.39 per $1,000 - yes 249, no 116 for 68 percent approval.

- Garfield School District Prop. 1, $20,000 for capital repairs and maintenance in 2012 and 2013 at a rate of $.34 per $1,000 - yes 164, no 55 for 75 percent approval. Garfield School District Prop. 2, $220,000 for maintenance and operations in 2012 and 2013 at a rate of $3.79 per $1,000 - yes 154, no 68 for 69 percent approval.

- Lamont School District, $135,000 for 2012 and 2013 maintenance at a rate of $4.25 per $1,000 - yes 36, no 22 for 62 percent approval.

- Palouse School District, $340,000 for maintenance and operations in 2012 and $350,000 for 2013, at rates of $3.67 per $1,000 and $3.78 per $1,000, respectively - yes 308, no 101 for 75 percent approval.

- St. John Cemetery District, lift lid on maintenance levy to previously authorized rate of $.11 per $1,000 - yes 203, no 51 for 80 percent approval.