Tax-related measures in Marysville, Arlington and Camano Island were passing late Tuesday after the first mailed-in ballots were counted:
- Marysville voters appear to have approved a sales-tax increase to fix roads, with 54.62 percent voting yes.
- The Arlington city budget would get an influx of badly needed revenue with an increase in the property-tax rate. It was passing with 52.59 percent of voters approving it.
- And in Island County, residents of Camano Island apparently have approved issuance of a bond to pay for a new, permanent library. A 60 percent yes vote was required, and 62.16 percent had voted yes.
Those results could change as more ballots trickle in.
Marysville voters were asked to increase the sales tax there from 8.6 percent to 8.8 percent. The additional 0.2 percent sales tax will pay for transportation projects including work on roads, improvements to bicycle and pedestrian access and seven potential capital projects over the next 10 years.
In Arlington, voters were asked to increase the city property tax rate by 58 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to offset cuts to the general fund and to bolster the city’s reserve fund. Due to a change in the law, Arlington in 2008 lost a big chunk of annual sales-tax revenue. The reserve fund was nearly depleted, leading to a drop in the city’s credit rating, and the city has been strapped ever since.
On Camano Island, voters were asked to pay for a permanent public library through the issuance of a $2.3 million, 10-year bond. Servicing that debt will cost property owners 9 cents per $1,000 of assessed value per year. A similar measure failed by 75 votes last August.
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