Second time was the charm for Pasco School District to secure voter approval for renewal of its operations levy. 

Pasco’s Educational Programs & Operations, or EP&O, levy was passing with 58.46% approval, or 7,485 votes, when results were announced by the Franklin County Auditor’s Office on Tuesday night.  

Voters returned 12,818 ballots, leading to a turnout of 28%. 

It was unclear how many ballots remained to be counted but Tuesday night’s results were reported from 96 of 103 precincts. Election officials will update the results by 6 p.m. Wednesday after counting remaining ballots. 

Pasco was the only Tri-City school district that didn’t pass a levy in February. Voters narrowly rejected it, prompting the district’s school board to quickly decide to place it back before voters.  

The levy rate presented on the April 28 ballot of $2.08 per $1,000 of assessed property value, which will generate about $35 million annually, is slightly below what was requested in February. However, it is the same rate as voters currently pay and its passage means there won't be budget cuts connected to levy-funded programs and staffing.   

The decision to run the levy again without reducing it further was not unanimous. Two board members in February said many district families are worried about their finances as the cost of everything, from gas to groceries, climbs. However, other board members argued that reducing the rate would provide a minimal benefit to individual property taxpayers compared to the cumulative impact on the district’s budget. 

District officials indicated declining voter turnout along with economic stress was a factor in the levy’s rejection in February. School board member Heather Kubalek said her research indicated the February special election, with 25% voter turnout, was the lowest voter turnout in 16 years on ballots with school-related measures. 

Paterson School District, which operates a lone K-8 school in southern Benton County, also had an EP&O levy on the ballot. 

The levy was passing with more than 85% approval Tuesday night, with 29 of 34 ballots in favor. Voter turnout for that election was 17%. 

The election will be certified May 8.