A man walks through the shelves of the Beaverton City Library in Beaverton, Ore., June 30, 2025.
Morgan Barnaby / OPB
Measures in Washington County to fund public safety services and county libraries were on track to pass based on early returns.
Those results showed both measures ahead by at least 14 percentage points as of early Wednesday morning.
If passed, the library levy would replace and increase the current levy that funds about 45% of costs for the county’s 16 libraries. Because of rising demand and costs at the libraries, county officials said they could not maintain the current level of service without an increase.
The measure would raise the existing rate by 15 cents per $1,000 in assessed value.
City leaders throughout the county expressed mixed feelings on the levy because the county proposed changes to the way it distributes funds for each library. Those changes were officially approved by the county Board of Commissioners last week.
The public safety levy, if passed, would result in a 19-cent increase per $1,000 in assessed value over the current levy, which expires in June. According to the county, the measure would continue funding jail services, assistance programs for domestic violence victims and a mental health response team.
This story may be updated.
