Woodland Police Sgt. Jim Keller patrols the city Aug. 21, 2018.
A ballot measure that will increase Woodland’s property tax levy to fund more police officers has succeeded as certified results from the November election show the proposition passing by a single vote.
Results from the election were certified Nov. 26, showing that Woodland Proposition 1 had 691 votes for and 690 votes against.
The ballot measure will increase the city’s property tax levy by about 63 cents per $1,000 of assessed value on properties. The levy is aimed to allow for the hiring of two additional officers and an administrative sergeant for the department.
In a Facebook post addressing the voter approval, Mayor Will Finn acknowledged that having a measure pass by a single vote demonstrated that “every vote counts.”
Two years ago, a similar ballot measure raising property taxes failed by 18 votes.
Increasing the number of Woodland police has been an ongoing topic of discussion for years, with recommendations from past chiefs and an advisory committee showing a need for more officers. On his post, Finn commented that the funds collected as an increase to the city’s general fund would be dedicated to police department funding.
“Some are claiming (bait-and-switch) … It simply can’t happen,” Finn wrote.
Unlike elections with candidates or statewide initiatives, a local ballot measure like the levy did not have an automatic recount threshold based on percentage or number of votes, per state law.
