Kitsap County Elections Division workers report there will be only 25 ballots left to count during what’s expected to the last vote tally on Feb. 23.
The Elections Division announced the results of another vote count late Thursday, and all three Bainbridge measures for the Feb. 10 Special Election are still well on their way to approval.
Another 255 ballots were counted Thursday, and a total of 9,163 ballots have been processed so far.
Though the vote tally is still unofficial, all three measures have secured enough votes to pass easily.
Bainbridge Island Fire Department Fire Chief Hank Teran thanked voters Thursday for their support of a levy that would add to the firefighter and EMT ranks of the department, as well as a 20-year bond measure to pay for new and renovated fire stations.
“On behalf of the Bainbridge Island Fire Department and its membership, I would like to thank the community for supporting our two measures in the Feb. 10 election,” Teran said in a message to voters.
“The approval of the measures would not have been possible without your support. We are honored to serve our community and will continue to provide the excellent service you expect and deserve,” he said.
“Please visit our website at www.bifd.org for current information and timelines for both measures. The monthly updates will help you to track our progress. One again, thank you for your support!”
The fire department’s two proposals sailed to approval with no organized opposition.
A measure to buy nearly 24 acres of land for a public park along Madison Avenue, however, found energized opponents but still easily prevailed at the ballot box.
Voter approval of a $5.9 million bond measure to pay for the purchase of the 23-acre Sakai property continued to have 69.6 percent voter approval in the latest vote tally Thursday — unchanged from the previous count on the day before.
Proposition 1 from the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District now has 6,370 “yes” votes — an uptick of 177 votes.
“No” votes for the parks’ Prop. 1 stand at 2,779, an increase of 75 over Wednesday.
The measure needed a 60-percent supermajority to pass.
The Bainbridge Island Fire Department’s Prop. 1 — a 9-cent levy increase to pay for more firefighters and EMTs to boost emergency coverage out of the department’s north end station on Phelps Road — has won 72.8 percent of the vote.
That’s a slight gain from the previous tally (72.7 percent). A total of 6,595 “yes” votes have been counted, and the “no” vote stands at 27.2 percent, or 2,467 votes in opposition.
Prop. 2, a $16 million bond measure to pay for new and improved fire stations on Bainbridge, now has dipped slightly to 63.5 percent of the vote in approval, with 36.5 percent opposed. The Wednesday count had a 63.6 percent “yes” vote, and 36.4 percent against.
Prop. 2 needed a 60-percent supermajority to pass.
Turnout for the Special Election is now estimated to be 51.6 percent of registered voters.
