School district levy
At a November 14 meeting, Vashon Island School District’s (VISD) board of directors approved a resolution pertaining to the district’s estimated property tax collections for 2025.
Specifically, the rate for a $47.7 million bond — obtained as a Qualified School Construction Bond (QSCB) and approved by voters in 2021 to build the new Vashon High School, will increase from $.88 in 2024 to a projected $.95 in 2025.
The estimated net change to taxpayers in the district will be a $.11 increase per $1,000 of assessed value over last year.
In a meeting in August, Justin Lanting, an assistant fiscal officer of Puget Sound Educational School District who is now assisting the VISD financial office, said that the levy rate for this bond might need to be increased in 2025, due to an error made by VISD business office staff members in July 2023.
At that time, a bond rebate payment of $392,000 was deposited into VISD’s general account, rather than having the amount transferred to the district’s debt service account, as had been the district’s prior practice.
The amount was spent on other expenses and would have to be recouped to make future payments on the bond, Lanting said.
In an email following the board’s approval of the Nov. 14 resolution, Lanting said that only $.02 of the increase approved by the resolution was attributed to the QSBC refund being spent in the general fund.
“The remaining estimated change is attributed to a lower assessed value of property and the need to make a ballon payment in the debt schedule,” Lanting said.
In December of 2025, the district will make a $19,370,000 payment as agreed to in the bond resolution to pay debt accrued, he said.
County wants feedback on traffic enforcement
The King County Office of Law Enforcement Oversight wants public input from communities in unincorporated King County — such as Vashon — on their experiences and recommendations regarding traffic safety — especially, the county says, in regard to whether there are racial disparities in traffic enforcement in King County.
To take the survey, visit publicinput.com/oleo_trafficsafety.
Suspect ID’d in Vashon Post Office break-ins
A suspect has been identified in connection to a series of PO Box break-ins on Vashon, according to U.S. Postal Inspector John A. Wiegand. The Beachcomber previously reported on those break-ins this summer.
The suspect is currently in custody for separate charges and has not been formally charged in connection to the PO Box break-ins, so the Postal Inspection Service has not named them yet.
The Beachcomber will continue to cover this developing story.
Mum’s the word on Amazon changes
Over the last week, islanders began sharing reports on social media and with The Beachcomber that packages ordered from Amazon were being delivered on the island by workers for, or contracted with, the company.
This would represent a new frontier for Amazon, which has historically relied on the Post Office to make the final hand-off of its packages on the island. The Post Office has dealt in recent holiday seasons with large volumes of Amazon deliveries.
The Beachcomber reached out to Amazon for more details and to ask if the company has changed its delivery practices on the island.
But the company, in an emailed statement, responded with only the following: “We’re always looking for ways to improve our customer experience.”
Amazon declined further comment.
Are you getting Amazon packages delivered straight to your door by the company? Let us know by emailing editor@vashonbeachcomber.com.
Public meetings
The following taxing districts, government bodies, utility providers and citizen groups have civic meetings coming up concerning islanders.
• Water District 19’s next board meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at the district’s board room at 17630 100th Ave SW.
• Vashon Park District: The Park District board’s next scheduled meeting is at 7 p.m. on Dec. 10 at the Ober Park Administration Building (17130 Vashon Hwy. SW) and via Zoom. Visit vashonparks.org for more information.
• Metropolitan King County Council: The council may delay its vote on the 2024 Comprehensive Plan package to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10, at King County Council Chambers, located at the King County Courthouse, 516 3rd Avenue, Room 1001, Seattle. For more information, visit kingcounty.gov/CouncilCompPlan.
• The Vashon Cemetery District’s next regular board meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, at the District’s office, located at 19631 Singer Rd SW. The board meets on the second Wednesday of every month.
• Vashon Health Care District’s next board meeting is at 7 p.m. on Dec. 18 at the Vashon Presbyterian Church (17708 Vashon Hwy SW) and on Zoom. Visit vashonhealthcare.org for more information.
• Vashon Island School District’s next board meeting is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 19 at Chautauqua Elementary School, Room 302, 9309 SW Cemetery Road. This is the last regularly scheduled meeting before the end of the year. Visit vashonsd.org for more information.
