Election Day has come and gone in Columbia County, and though the election results won't be certified until June 17, initial returns indicate that many across the county were not willing to approve measures that would add to their tax bill.
Levies for the St. Helens Police Department, the Columbia County Jail, and Columbia 9-1-1 Communications District all fell short of a majority approval. The only levy that has been approved by a majority of voters at this time is Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District's fire and emergency service levy.
In the race to see who will be on the Columbia County Board of Commissioners, Casey Garrett retained his seat running unopposed. Incumbent Margaret Magruder will continue her reelection efforts against Alex Tardiff in a runoff election this fall.
Full coverage will be available in next week's edition of the Chronicle & Chief. For now, let's take a look at the early results of an election that saw 13,936 of the 42,0007 registered voters in the county cast a ballot:
Columbia County - Jail Operating Tax Levy
Voters have seemingly turned down the opportunity to renew the Columbia County Jail Levy for four years which sought to bridge the remaining gap for the jail’s full operation through fiscal year 2028.
As of May 23, the measure has failed by a count of 4,845 voting in favor, and 8,617 in opposition to the measure.
The tax levy would have been to contribute to constitutionally required care for inmates, including food, clothing, health care, corrections deputies, and other corrections staff, in addition to facility maintenance and deferred capital projects, such as a roof replacement.
Passage of the measure would have raised property owners’ taxes by $0.29, from $0.58 to $0.87 per $1,000 of assessed property value. A property owner with an assessed value of $100,000 would have paid $87.00 annually for four yearsaccording to the Columbia County voter's pamphlet.
City of St. Helens - Creation of Police Protection Services Staff Fund
The City of St. Helens levy that sought to raise $0.69 per $1,000 of assessed value to support hiring more police officers for the St. Helens Police Department (SHPD) has failed according to early election returns.
As of May 23, 1,229 people voted for the measure while 1,638 voted against.
The measure would have created an Enhanced Law Enforcement Operating Fund to be used exclusively to increase law enforcement presence in the city. It would add four additional officers, necessary equipment, necessary training, reduce response times, and enable the police to continue to provide 24/7 law enforcement coverage in St. Helens.
For a home assessed at a value of $200,000, the annual cost of this levy would have been $138 per year or $0.38 per day. If approved, the levy would have raised approximately $4,343,929 for police protection services over the 5-year period.
Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District - Renewal of current five-year local option tax for Fire and Emergency Services
Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District looks to have renewed its tax levy to fund current staff positions and operations for an additional five years. Growing demands for services put strain on the district budget and local volunteers to answer the calls.
463 voters voted in favor of the measure, narrowly edging out the 408 who were against it.
Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District is the smallest fire district in Columbia County, serving 36 square miles. The district responded to 747 emergency and non-emergency calls in 2023.
The levy would fund the three current career firefighter positions, equipment, and operational costs connected to emergency and wildfire mitigation, prevention, and response.
The emergency services levy will provide annual funding of approximately $431,000 at a cost of $1.24 per $1000 of assessed property value.
Columbia 9-1-1 Communications District - Renewal of 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Operating Fund
Columbia 911 Communications District was seeking a five-year renewal of its operating levy, as the current Operating Fund levy will end on June 30 of this year. Unfortunately for the district, as it stands, the levy seems to have narrowly failed.
Of the 13,518 votes cast, 6,591 were in favor, while 6,927 voted against the measure.
The Operating Fund levy renewal would have been at a rate of 29 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, added to the permanent rate of 25.54 cents per $1,000 assessed value. For a home assessed at $100,000, the annual combined cost of the permanent and requested renewal levy would be $54.54 per year, according to the Columbia County voter's pamphlet.
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