There are two (2) Camas Levy’s this time around. In Part 1 we address Proposition 6 which is the Operations Levy. Part 2 is Proposition 7 which is a Capital Levy. It's worth understanding how much each school district gets for new housing construction. Camas gets $6,650 school impact fees.pdf (wa.gov) The voter pamphlet Pro/Con/Rebuttals can be found at: Camas School District No. 117 - Prop No. 6 - Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy - Prop No. 7 - Replacement Capital Levy for Education Technology, Health and Safety Imp..pdf (wa.gov) Part 1 – Proposition 6 – EP&O levy In February 2024 the Camas School District returns to voters to ask for “renewals” of … [Read more...]
Camas School District Levy’s – Yes or No? Update Jan 19th 2021
Update: January 19, 2021 - Apparently the Camas SD has corrected the errors cited below. However, it is not clear whether they notified viewers of the errors and their mistake or not. No evidence of a retraction or correction. As such we'll leave the notes about the errors available for you to review so you understand what was said early. It's time for the next Camas levy. We'll share information we found that may raise questions as to whether you should consider voting No rather than Yes as the district is asking. Let's get to work: Here is a link to a website put together by a Camas district resident where they share information on why voting No makes sense: … [Read more...]
Vancouver School District – New Levy Feb 2020
On your special February 2020 ballot property owners will be asked to approve a NEW..an additional levy on top of everything else. Why? Leadership overspent and over committed and needs the tax payers to bail them out. That's the simple truth that isn't explained. To make sure you know what's not being said we share the following information. You vote as you see fit. Please vote. Don't let 20% of the voters make the call. Vancouver School District Supplemental Levy February 2020 The VanSD is asking for a NEW levy on top of their existing levy. Specifically (from their website: https://vansd.org/levy/) The total amount of the three-year levy is $31.29 million. That is projected … [Read more...]
Vancouver School District 2019 Levy Requests
In late November we filed a Public Record Request with the Vancouver School District (Van SD) asking for information relating to their Feb 2019 levy request. That document can be opened and download by clicking: Public_Record_Request_VanSD_2019_Levy_Response Following are summary notes from that document as well as other facts and details: Here is a link to the VAN SD's levy website pages: https://vansd.org/levy/ So what's changed since the last levy? The Washington State Legislature INCREASED the state property tax for schools. In Clark County that means the rate went from $1.98/$1000 of assessed value to $2.89/$1000. That's a $.91/$1000 increase. On a $400,000 assessed … [Read more...]
Do you have the courage to say no to a school levy or bond?
Every 4 years most school districts bring a new levy to the voters asking for money to support Operations and Maintenance. February of 2017 is such a time. In Southwest Washington State four (4) of the nine (9) school districts are asking voters to say yes to funding requests. Two (2) of the districts want 3% more per year; one (1) wants 5% and one (1) wants almost 8% per year. Several districts also have Capital Bonds on the ballot in which they ask for money to build and/or renovate schools. Hopefully we all take the time to read the measures, ask questions and get answers to guide us in making our decision on how to vote. From a personal perspective we live in the Battle Ground … [Read more...]
Local Levy’s in Southwest Washington State – February 2017
2017 brings us local school district levy's on the ballot in February. In this story we'll provide background information on what levy's are, how they are used and what they mean to the districts (specific to Washington State). We'll also list each of the proposed levy's by district and summarize what they are asking for and share our thoughts for your consideration. In the end YOU will be the one to decide what to support based on your views and values. What is a levy? It's generally called a Maintenance and Operations Levy (M&O). The money is used to pay for things (people and services) that are NOT covered by the State. Most of the money is used to pay for extra personnel … [Read more...]