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Voters were split over school funding in Bellingham and Ferndale and a library measure in Birch Bay, according to ballot counts on election night.

Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, for the special election that featured a bond measure for Bellingham schools, a levy renewal for Ferndale schools and whether Birch Bay can sell bonds and tax local homeowners to fund a community library. Bond measures for Bellingham Public Schools and the Birch Bay Library Capital Facility Area require 60% approval.

According to a tally of votes released by the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office on Tuesday night.

▪ A proposed $122 million school bond issue in Bellingham was failing, 59% to 41%. That measure asked voters to increase the rate for the school’s part of the property tax to $3.47 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2022 and to $3.72 in 2023 and 2024.

A Ferndale School District request for a continuing operations levy was passing, 59% to 41%. It would keep the current property tax at a rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, meaning the owner of a $500,000 home would keep paying about $750 a year for the school district’s part of their property tax. This levy would continue funding for day-to-day operations and pay for nurses, counselors and support staff beyond state-funded positions. It continues funding for child nutrition programs, special education and advanced learning. It provides for more elective and extra-curricular opportunities for students, including athletics, drama, music, STEM and career and technical education.

â–ª A bond measure for the Birch Bay library was failing, 57% to 43%. It would cost the owner of a $350,000 home about $38.50 a year in extra tax for the library.