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County directs staff to convene public hearings, move sooner on library and public safety levies
Summary
Board directed staff to proceed with earlier public hearings and to move toward filing two replacement local-option levies (library and public safety) for the November 2025 ballot; preliminary rates proposed are 37¢ per $1,000 for library services and 66¢ per $1,000 for public safety.
The Washington County Board of Commissioners on June 3 directed staff to proceed with an earlier public hearing schedule and to move toward referring two local-option levies to voters for the November 2025 ballot.
County staff presented preliminary ballot titles and explanatory statements for a library levy replacement and a public safety levy replacement. The board voted unanimously, 5-0, to convene hearings sooner rather than waiting for an August filing date so staff could begin outreach and campaign support activities earlier.
Lisa Tattersall, manager of Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS), explained the library proposal would replace the current 22¢ per $1,000 assessed-value levy with a 37¢ levy, and estimated first-year revenue of about $34.7 million. Tattersall said the estimated cost to the average Washington County homeowner in the first year would be about $129, an annual increase of roughly $54 (about $4.55 per month) compared with the current levy.
Erin Calvert presented the public safety levy proposal, which would replace the current 47¢ levy with a 66¢ levy per $1,000 assessed value. Staff estimated first-year revenue of about $60 million and projected the first-year cost to the average homeowner at approximately $230 (an increase of about $90 from the current levy, or roughly $7.45 per month).
Philip Bransford and Darren Talbert described the outreach timeline and polling; staff plans continued polling and a final referral/adoption that would align with results from a late-July survey. Chair Harrington said filing earlier would allow the county to move outreach work sooner and permitted potential withdrawal or re-filing before the August deadline if needed.
"If we were to move sooner, that would not preclude us from either withdrawing something...or refiling something before the August deadline for filing measures," the chair said during discussion.
The motion to direct staff to convene earlier public hearings and pursue the sooner filing option passed unanimously, 5-0.
Ending: Staff will proceed with earlier public hearings and outreach; final adoption and official filing timing will reflect results of additional polling and will return to the board for formal referral.
