White Salmon Council backs $78 million bond and EP&O levy renewal for Feb. 10 vote

The White Salmon City Council on Jan. 7 voted to adopt Resolution No. 2026-01-638, expressing the City’s support for the White Salmon Valley School District’s two ballot measures scheduled for a Feb. 10 special election.

Board Chair Peter Harkema and Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn presented the measures to Council. Proposition 1 is a proposed 20-year capital bond with an upper limit near $77.8–$78 million, estimated to carry an effective tax rate of about $1.66 per $1,000 of assessed value; the district said that the proposal could qualify for roughly $34 million in state construction assistance. Proposition 2 is a three-year educational programs and operations (EP&O) levy renewal estimated at $1.61 per $1,000 assessed value. The district said ballots will be mailed Jan. 23 ahead of the Feb. 10 election.

Council members pressed district leaders on cost and implementation details. Councilor David Lindley asked whether the bond amount reflected conceptual designs and whether final costs could come in lower; Superintendent Polkinghorn said the figures represent an upper limit based on conceptual square footage and that the district will seek to stay within the stated amount during formal design. Lindley also asked about the future of the Whitson property; Polkinghorn said Whitson would remain in use for roughly three years after a successful bond and that community engagement on future use would follow, with no final decisions made yet.

Councilor Doug Rainbolt raised affordability concerns and asked about relief options; Polkinghorn said Skamania and Klickitat counties offer property tax relief programs for qualifying seniors and people with disabilities and that the district’s outreach materials emphasize those options. Councilor Patty Fink said she supports modernizing facilities personally but expressed concern about overall tax burdens, safe routes to a consolidated campus, and the district’s downtown land holdings relative to affordable housing needs; she abstained from the Council’s resolution vote, citing those outstanding questions.

Mayor Marla Keethler asked about voter thresholds and whether the measures fall under the statewide $10 per $1,000 property tax cap; Superintendent Polkinghorn said he did not know, and Keethler said staff would follow up by email. The Council moved to adopt the resolution in support of Propositions 1 and 2; the motion, made by Councilor David Lindley and seconded by Councilor Morella Mora, passed with votes recorded as Giant – Aye; Fink – Abstained; Rainbolt – Aye; Lindley – Aye.

The bond requires approval by 60% plus one of voters and verification of 40% voter turnout based on the prior election, the district said; the EP&O levy requires a simple majority (50% plus one). The district emphasized that the bond request was developed through a multi-year, community-led planning process and framed the proposals as investments in safety, accessibility, and modernization.

Next steps: ballots will be mailed Jan. 23 and the special election is set for Feb. 10. Council and district staff said additional community outreach and design work will continue if the measures succeed.