The replacement levy for the Centralia School District is failing as of the most recent updated ballot counts from Thurston and Lewis counties, both of which the school district falls into.
On Tuesday, election night, the ballot measure was failing by more than 200 votes. It has closed the gap somewhat, but, as of Thursday, remained 80 “yes” votes away from earning a simple majority plus one.
From the multi-county totals, 2,626 ballots, 49.26% of the total, were in favor of the levy, while 2,705, or 50.74%, had voted “no.”
The proposal is for the same rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value that voters approved in 2021, but, due to increased property valuations, the rate would bring in a higher collection amount than permitted by the existing levy, which expires at the end of this year.
After the proposal failed on the February special election ballot, the Centralia School Board voted to place the same measure on the April ballot. State law allows school districts to run two ballot measures in a calendar year, meaning the current election is the Centralia School District’s last opportunity to try and pass a levy before the existing levy expires at the end of the year.
The Lewis County Auditor’s Office mailed 14,172 ballots to all active registered voters within the Centralia School District on April 5.
More information on the levy proposal itself is available at https://www.centralia.k12.wa.us/domain/1093.
Read about the possible implications for sports in the Centralia School District here: https://www.chronline.com/stories/all-or-nothing-whats-at-stake-for-centralia-athletics-in-upcoming-replacement-levy-vote,317745?
Read a student’s perspective here: https://www.chronline.com/stories/commentary-a-students-perspective-on-the-centralia-school-levy,317679?
Read about the decision to place the levy on the ballot here: https://www.chronline.com/stories/we-cant-fail-this-one-centralia-school-district-will-put-levy-on-april-ballot-after,314477?
