Voters in the Yachats Rural Protection District on Tuesday approved the district’s request to renew a 61 cent property tax levy to support its yearly operations.
The five-year levy easily passed 827 to 311 after the third day of counting ballots Thursday, according to the Lincoln County clerk’s office.
Voters across Lincoln County also widely approved – 9,011 to 4,191 — a measure to increase the county’s lodging tax by 20 percent – raising it from 10 percent to 12 percent.
Voters in Toledo weren’t feeling quite so generous, defeating by a vote of 269 to 363 a $3.65 million bond to replace its Ammon Road water reservoir and make improvements to the city’s public safety building.
The turnout in the special election was 30.2 percent, according to the Lincoln County clerk’s office. The last of the ballots are to be counted with final, unofficial totals released Tuesday, Nov. 14.
Yachats Fire District: The district asked voters to renew a tax levy of 61 cents per $1,000 assessed property value. It’s a levy the district has relied on since 1999 to help fund yearly operations and last renewed in 2019. It follows voter approval of a $1.59 per $1,000 levy last year that replaced a 59 cent levy and raised property taxes substantially this fall in the district.
County lodging tax: Voters across the county got to weigh in on increasing the lodging tax on approximately 530 vacation rentals, motels and RV parks in unincorporated areas of the county from 10 percent to 12 percent. The increase is estimated to raise an additional $568,605 a year with $398,000 of that dedicated to county park operations and improvements. The remainder — $170,605 – would go into the county’s general fund for any type of use.
Toledo: Voters in the city of Toledo turned down a proposed $3.65 million bond to replace the Ammon Road water reservoir and make improvements to the city’s public safety building. The bond would have carried a tax rate of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.