School levies, sales tax hike pass handily

MOSES LAKE — It was a clear win across Grant County for school levies and tax increases in Tuesday’s special election.

As of late Tuesday, it appears that voters in the Moses Lake School district handily approved the three-year, $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value enrichment levy to help fund school operations, approving it by a wide margin of 59.6 percent yes, or 4,245 votes, to 40.4 percent no, or 2,876.

The measure needed 50 percent plus one vote to pass.

The levy will replace the district’s current levy of $4.61 at the beginning of 2019.

Wilson Creek School District voters approved their next school levy by an even stronger margin of 69.5 percent in favor, or 91 votes, compared with 30.5 percent against, or 40 votes.

The measure will also replace the current Wilson Creek levy of $3.17 per $1,000 at the beginning on 2019.

Finally, Ephrata voters overwhelmingly approved a dedicated two-tenths of 1 percent sales tax to fund street repairs for the next 10 years. The measure passed with 60.5 percent approval, or 730 votes, compared with a no vote of 39.5 percent, or 476 votes.

The city of Ephrata proposed the sales tax measure after the long and dreadful winter of 2016-17 left the town’s roads in desperate need of repairs. City officials hope the sales tax will raise about $200,000 a year to patch potholes and keep roads paved.

The auditor is scheduled to certify the election on Friday, May 4, 2018.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.