EVERETT, Wash. — The Port of Everett said it "remains committed" to its work as an "economic driver for Snohomish County and beyond" after a proposal to expand its district appears to have failed.
The port wanted to expand its boundaries to all Snohomish County, except for the cities of Edmonds and Woodway, which are already part of the Port of Edmonds.
Following an initial ballot count during the August primary election, Port of Everett Prop. 1 was being rejected with 67% of voters against it.
In a statement, the port said this was the first opportunity "in our generation" that residents had the chance to bring "the value and economic tools of the port to the greater Snohomish County community."
"With this outcome, the Port still won’t be able to invest outside of its limited boundaries, but we will strive to ensure our advocacy and economic value continue to stretch beyond our district," the statement reads, in part.
The Port of Everett supports about 40,000 jobs across the county and contributes $433 million to state and local taxes. Port officials previously said that is a fraction of what it could be contributing, with port CEO Lisa Lefeber saying the proposed expansion was "really about the future."
The money would have been used for environmental cleanups, public access to waterways, tourism and improvements to the transportation network. The money could not be used for salaries or operations. However, the port would not commit to any particular projects ahead of the election, as officials wanted to seek input from each community about their needs, according to Lefeber.
If approved, Snohomish County homeowners would have been asked to pay an additional 18.8 cents per $1,000 assessed value in property taxes. For the average home in Snohomish County, assessed at $550,000, that works out to about $103 a year.
Currently, about 110,000 people, mostly in and around Everett, pay into the port's taxing district. That's out of a county with some 830,000 people.
