May 29: Updated with vote tallies released May 28.

Unofficial election results show support for Eugene’s library levy and mixed results for charter amendments.

If passed, Ballot Measure 20-381 would charge taxpayers 19 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value over five years, projected to raise $4.3 million for Eugene Public Library per year. 

Vote returns at 4:50 p.m. Thursday show 64.6% of voters supporting the levy and 35.4% rejecting it. 

If passed, the levy — which accounts for about 23% of the library’s budget — would allow the library to maintain current service levels across its three branches, bolster its early literacy programming and launch two new book-lending kiosks. Read more about the levy here. 

The levy would replace an expiring version, which charges 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The new levy amounts to about $54 a year for the average homeowner — roughly $17 more than the expiring levy, which was approved by more than 75% of voters in 2020. 

Charter amendments

Two minor changes to the Eugene charter — eliminating the residency requirement for city department heads and the use of gender-specific pronouns — have mixed results, according to preliminary results. 

The proposal to eliminate the requirement for city department heads to live in the city of Eugene appeared headed for defeat: Vote returns at 4:50 p.m. Thursday show 57% opposed to Measure 20-377, with 43% of voters backing.

The pronoun-related charter amendment, Measure 20-376, had support as of 4:50 p.m. Thursday, with 63.9% of voters supporting the proposal and 36.1% rejecting it. 

Read more about the proposed charter amendments here.

Grace Chinowsky graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in journalism. She served as editor-in-chief of the university’s independent student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, and interned at CNN and MSNBC. Grace covers Eugene’s city government and the University of Oregon.