The Salem Public Library is poised to receive sweeping upgrades promised under an $18.6 million bond measure voters passed Tuesday.

Unofficial voting returns show Measure 24-423 winning with 63 percent of the vote in Marion County and 55 percent in Polk.

In other Marion County communities, voters approved money for school improvements in the North Marion School District, a new gas tax and pool funding in Silverton and a revised city charter in Stayton. Voters appeared to reject an extension of a local option tax in St. Paul.

Wednesday morning, Marion County's voter turnout rate was at about 27 percent. In an election affecting about 95,500 voters, 26,131 had cast a vote, according to Marion County elections office. The county has 193,204 registered voters.

The only people who received ballots in Polk County were in West Salem because of the library measure.

The Salem library bond will pay for safety upgrades in case of a severe earthquake, which scientists say could occur within the next 50 years because of the unstable Cascadia subduction zone.

"We are happy for the affirmation that people love the library," said Judy Martin, co-chair of the Renew Our Library campaign, after results came in Tuesday night.

Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett said voters "did themselves proud today.”

The bond measure will raise property taxes by 12 cents for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value. Property owners should see it on next year's tax bills.

The library measure, coupled with a bond measure passed last May to pay for a new Salem police headquarters, calculates out to between $56 and $78 in extra property taxes for average Salem homeowners, based on whether they live in Marion or Polk county.

The Salem City Council and private campaigners had pushed for the library funding, which will also bring the site up to Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

No official opposition arose against the measure during the campaign.

Silverton street and pool taxes pass

Silverton residents approved a 2-cent-per-gallon gas tax Tuesday evening by about 66 percent, meaning they can expect to pay a little more to fuel up.

Under the measure, gas stations will pay the tax to the city every month. Gas stations can send increased costs to customers by ratcheting up prices.

Silverton Mayor Kyle Palmer praised the gas tax as a way for out-of-towners to help pay for the city's roads.

The city says the gas tax should bring in about $173,000 a year. Taxes will go toward roads in the city, though a stipulation lets the money go toward state or federal projects as "matching funds."

Meanwhile, local voters also approved a five-year operating levy to keep a Silverton swimming pool in operation. The tax will be $275,000 a year for five years, or an estimated $1,375,000 altogether. It passed with about 66 percent of the vote.

If voters had rejected the measure, the pool would have shut down after June of next year because of a lack of money.

St. Paul not likely to see tax extension

A bid to continue an expiring local option tax in St. Paul appeared to fail.

Unofficial ballot counts late Tuesday showed about 66 percent of voters against the tax and 44 percent in favor. About 110 people voted in the election, out of the 293 eligible.

The tax would have cost $1.50 per $1,000 on a property's assessed value, on top of St. Paul's permanent tax rate of 62 cents.

The increased rate would have brought in an estimated $55,632 during the 2018-19 fiscal year. This compares to the current $22,836 brought in annually by the permanent tax rate.

Money from the tax would have gone into the St. Paul's general fund, which pays for services including police, street lights and land-use planning. City officials said the increase was needed to maintain current service levels for three years.

The tax sunsets Nov. 30.

Kim Wallis, the mayor of St. Paul, said he wasn't surprised voters didn't approve it. He said with additional expenditures and the economy, the town wasn't likely to pay more.

While the town may not see the ramifications of the vote until the next budget year, Wallis said the town will need to make adjustments and should probably start "tightening the belt" now.

North Marion schools get upgrades

The North Marion School District will get $42.2 million for building improvements.

Unofficial ballot counts late Tuesday showed about 60 percent of voters were in favor of the bond, which will increase property taxes for homes in the district's area from $1.38 to $1.86 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. About 40 percent of voters voted against the measure.

The money will pay for a wide range of improvements, such as new roofs on the district's primary, intermediate and middle schools; and seismic upgrades to a high-school gym.

District Superintendent Ginger Redlinger said a greater number of people voted in this election than years past. Of more than 6,500 eligible to vote, 2,410 did.

Redlinger met with parents, board members and staff who have worked for the past few years on the bond at the Aurora Colony Pub Tuesday night.

They planned to celebrate the community effort whether the measure passed or not, she said.

Construction on smaller projects is slated to begin as soon as next summer.

The high school academic wing replacement could begin fall 2019 with move in by the start of the 2020-21 school year.

Stayton poised for new charter

Voters overwhelmingly passed a new city charter for Stayton.

Nearly 70 percent of voters approved the measure, while about 30 percent voted no. About 980 people voted out of 4,865 eligible.

The new charter brings about changes, including the mayor and city councilor term lengths. The charter also requires voter approval for annexations over three acres.

It goes into effect Jan. 1, 2018.

Stayton City Administrator Keith Campbell said proponents of the measure did a lot to reach out to the voters about the charter, which is why he wasn't surprised it is likely to pass. But while he was optimistic it would get a fair amount of support, he was a bit surprised such an overwhelming majority voted 'yes.' Once the charter is in effect, Campbell's title will change to City Manager.

"My day-to-day doesn't change, just my business cards," he said.

Reach reporter Jonathan Bach by email at jbach@statesmanjournal.com or by phone at 503-399-6714. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanMBach and Facebook at www.facebook.com/jonathanbachjournalist.

Contact Natalie Pate at npate@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6745, or follow her on Twitter @Nataliempate or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/nataliepatejournalist.

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