Public Safety, Longview
Longview fire station levy trailing in early election results
Proposition 1, which would raise property taxes to pay for a third Longview fire station, had about 46% of the vote in the first count on election night.
Longview's Proposition 1, a property tax increase that would pay for a third city fire station, was losing in the first count of ballots Tuesday night.
The measure had 4,752 yes votes, or 45.87%, and 5,607 no votes, or 54.13%, according to unofficial results Cowlitz County released at 7:58 p.m. on Election Day.
What the measure would do
Proposition 1 is a Fire and EMS property tax levy lid lift. A lid lift lets a city collect more property tax than state law normally allows in a year. The Longview City Council sent the measure to voters with Resolution 2624 in June. The money would go toward building a third fire station in the city.
How many votes are left
The first count included 11,012 ballots from the 24,453 registered voters eligible to vote on the measure, a turnout of 45%. Washington votes by mail, and ballots postmarked by Election Day can still arrive and be counted in the days after.
Cowlitz County scheduled its next count for Wednesday by 7 p.m. The results will remain unofficial until the county certifies the election later this month.