The primary election was certified on Aug. 19 and Clallam County Fire District 3’s general fire levy still passed by a sizable portion.
Between Clallam and Jefferson counties, voters approved the levy by 7,432 votes for (64.4%) and 4,109 votes against (35.6%).
Election officials report that Sequim area voters had about a 37.8% turnout and about 42% in Jefferson County for the levy.
Of the voting precincts, only one voted the levy down (Deer Park by 48-58). The general levy needed a simple majority of 50% plus one vote.
According to fire district staff, the levy restoration starting in 2026 will cost a homeowner with a home assessed at $470,000 about $15.28 more than what they pay now per month, or $183.36 more than now each year.
The vote restores the district’s general levy rate from $1.11 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value and makes up about 71% of the district’s budget for personnel, supplies, equipment, training, and more.
The levy was first approved at the $1.50 levy rate in 2004 and was restored in 2018 due to levy compression, fire district staff report, as Washington’s law caps property tax revenue growth to 1% per year resulting in gradual degradation of the levy over the years.
Currently, the district’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) levy rate makes up about 23% of the district’s budget, and its rate is at about $0.39 per $1,000 of a home’s value, rather than its originally approved $0.50 rate. District fire commissioners are still in the exploration phase of whether they’ll ask voters to restore that levy sometime in 2026, they said.
More races
The only race with at least three candidates in the primary for Sequim area voters was the Hospital District 2 commission No. 7 position with incumbent Penney Sanders and Laurie Force advancing to the November general election. It’s a two-year unexpired term.
Other upcoming Hospital District 2 races include incumbent Ann Marie Henninger and challenger Gerald B. Stephanz Jr. for position 1, and Tara Coffin and Carleen Bensen for position 4, both six-year terms.
For Clallam County Fire District 3, incumbent Bill Miano and challenger Mike Taggart seek the commissioner, position 3 seat, a six-year term.
At the Port of Port Angeles, incumbent Colleen McAleer and challenger Nate Adkisson, both of Sequim, are running for district 1, and incumbent Steve Burke and challenger Allen Sawyer, both of Port Angeles, for district 2. Both are four-year terms.
Unopposed races
Incumbents Patrice Johnston and Maren Halvorsen with Sequim School District board of director seats No. 2 and 4, at-large, both are running unopposed for four-year terms.
In the City of Sequim, all five seats are unopposed for their four-year terms.
Appointees Kelly Burger and Nicole Hartman are running for seats No. 1 and 7 in two-year terms, and A. Pete Tjemsland for seat No. 3, a four-year term, with Vicki Lowe opting not to run again.
Both Deputy Mayor Rachel Anderson and Mayor Brandon Janisse, seats No. 4 and 5, seek four more years too.
Other uncontested Sequim area races include Frank Pickering for Park and Recreation Clallam County District 1 commissioner, position 2, a four-year term, and Gary Jubien for Water District Sunland commissioner, position 1, a six-year term.
Charter review
The Clallam County Charter Review Commission also asks voters in an amendment if they want to remove the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney as the ex-officio coroner, and have county commissioners hire personnel with the appropriate credentials and training to serve as coroner.
General election ballots will go out Oct. 15.
