Preliminary election results show future of Birch Bay library is in question

The future of the Birch Bay Vogt Community Library is in question after preliminary February 8 special election results showed the library wasn’t meeting the supermajority threshold needed to pass.

As of 8 p.m. February 8, the library had 56.7 percent of voters in favor (1,730 votes) and 43.3 percent against (1,319 votes). Proposition 2, which would fund the library’s construction, needs a 60-percent supermajority to pass and 40 percent of people who voted in the November 2021 election to vote in this election. 

The Whatcom County Auditor’s Office will continue counting ballots until it certifies election results Friday, February 18. Right now, the auditor’s office has an estimated 1,500 ballots left to count.

By 26 votes, the ballot measure failed to meet the supermajority threshold in the November 2021 election.

“Given our experience in the November election, we know that it’s not over until it’s over,” said Christine Perkins, Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) executive director. “We remain hopeful that the remaining votes to be counted will bring the tally to the 60-percent supermajority, however it’s not looking great right now.”

Perkins said it looked as though 40 percent of voters in the November election voted in the February special election.

The election will determine whether a Birch Bay Library Capital Facility Area (LCFA) will be established and form a LCFA board that would issue bonds to pay for the expected $6.5 million library. If passed, property owners in the LCFA boundary would pay 11 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, or about $38 annually for a $350,000 home, according to the Whatcom County Library System (WCLS). 

Only voters in the proposed The LCFA boundary could vote on the ballot measure.

A $2 million state appropriation could also be in jeopardy if the library project isn’t making significant progress by May 2023, WCLS executive director Christine Perkins previously said.

About 32 percent of voters turned in their ballots for the February election, with 34,840 ballots counted by 8 p.m. Election Day.

Perkins emphasized her appreciation for active library supporters who she said have put their hearts and souls into the project, from sign waving to writing letters in support. She said the WCLS will wait until results are certified to plan the next steps if Proposition 2 doesn’t pass.

“If it doesn’t pass, that will be a message about what the community wants or doesn’t want,” Perkins said. “We’ll have to check in with the community on the best way forward.”