Lewis County Fire District 5’s levy initiative was still failing as of Thursday’s updated ballot count.
While the proposal was failing by just 31 votes on election night, updated counts have increased the gap to 55 votes.
As of 5 p.m. on Thursday, 1,338 voters, 51.05% of the total, rejected the proposal while 1,283 voters, 48.91%, voted in favor of passing the district’s requested levy increase.
If passed, the proposal would increase the Napavine-based fire district’s levy from 58 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to a rate of $1.28 per $1,000 of assessed value for 2023 and provide for a limit factor up to 6% in the succeeding five years.
The same District 5 proposal failed by one vote in the August 2021 primary.
The Lewis County Auditor’s Office had counted 24,587 ballots as of Thursday, but the auditor’s office will continue counting ballots and releasing daily updated counts up until the county certifies the election results on Tuesday, Aug. 16.
