School special election ballots to be mailed January 24

Ballots for the Wahkiakum School District’s replacement maintenance and operation levy will be mailed to voters within the school district boundary on January 24.

The district board of directors has asked voters to replace an expiring levy in order to help the district pay maintenance and operation costs not covered by state or federal funding.

The levy would collect $997,000 in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. The assessment rate is estimated at $2.73 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The current rate for the expiring levy is $2.75 per $1,000.

In addition to the levy, the ballots will include a second issue regarding director districts. It asks voters to decide whether to dissolve the current five director districts and to replace them with three geographic director districts and two at-large director districts. This would allow the district to have a larger pool of candidates with which to fill vacancies on the board.

Ballots must be returned to the Wahkiakum county auditor’s office by February 11 or postmarked by that day to be counted.