With the final votes tallied, and some close calls, libraries have come out on top in the recent Washington elections with a perfect 6 for 6 score.
In Cowlitz County, the levy for the Castle Rock Public Library succeeded with 62.34% of the vote, which is great because it needed a supermajority (at least 60%) to pass. The final tally was 298 votes for and 180 against. A levy failure in 2008 forced the library to rely solely on donations to continue operating until a new levy passed last year. While the library relies entirely on levy funding, it is hoped that donations will continue to help bolster the budget moving forward.
The Fort Vancouver Regional Library, which covers a section of Cowlitz County, as well as Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat counties, also succeeded, though by an even smaller margin, with 50.28% of the vote (they needed 50% plus 1 vote to succeed). Klickitat County showed the strongest support, with over 63% approval, while the other counties hovered right around the 50% mark. Part of the success may be attributed to the recent closing of all three Hood River County libraries across the river in Oregon, which could have helped energize Washington voters to avoid a similar fate.
In Clallam County the levy lid lift succeeded with nearly 60% of the vote (again they needed 50% plus 1 vote), with 14,299 votes for and 9,895 votes against. This success has immediate results for Clallam County’s four public libraries. The libraries in Clallam Bay, Forks, Port Angeles, and Sequim were all prepared to close for an unpaid furlough week from Monday, August 27th through Saturday, September 4th. Thanks to the success of the levy lid lift, however, they’ve decided to keep their doors open instead, which of course is great news for library users and employees alike.
In Spokane County the levy passed with nearly 55% of the vote (they needed 50% plus 1 vote). The levy lift will allow the Spokane County Library District to maintain its current level of operations and maintenance for the next three years.
In the closest race of them all, Ocean Shores voted to support their library with a scant 50.07% majority (1,069 votes for, 1,066 votes against). This will mean a .22 cent lid lift/levy for the Ocean Shores Library in the years 2011 and 2012.
In another kind of library vote, citizens in Port Orchard voted to annex into the Kitsap Regional Library. The vote passed with high (nearly 72%) approval, and will allow Port Orchard voters to weigh in on the Kitsap Regional Library levy lid lift proposal that is coming up on the November ballot.
In a tough economy, libraries are more and more the focal points in their communities. They offer technology training, help finding jobs, a community meeting space, and of course access to books and other materials for their users to check out. It’s great to see that Washington’s residents are recognizing the value of their libraries, and supporting them in a time when they can do the most good.
(With thanks to Emmett O’Connell for keeping track of vote results on his blog.)
