4:45 p.m. May 21: Updated with latest vote tallies.

Lane County election results released Thursday, May 21, narrowly flipped the results for some local option levy and tax requests. The still unofficial results will not be updated again until next week.

Proposed levy increases for the county’s Oregon State University Extension Service and Springfield’s Willamalane Park and Recreation District took a slim lead. Both races are still too close to call.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, 50.15% of Lane County voters had voted for a levy increase to expand programs offered through the Lane County branch of the Oregon State University Extension Service. The Extension Service provides 4-H youth programs and classes about gardening, agriculture and forestry, among other topics. 

The partial results also showed that 50.69% of Springfield voters approved increasing the Willamalane Parks and Recreation District levy. According to Willamalane Executive Director Michael Wargo, the increase would allow the park district to maintain current levels of service; without it, officials said the district would have to cut services.

In the Fern Ridge Library District, the measure to renew the district’s five-year local option levy has a narrow lead, but it’s also still too close to call.

Partial results indicate that 54.93% of the voters said “yes” to renewing the Fern Ridge levy, which funds staff, library materials and other programs and services. If the levy passes, it would not increase the tax rates that property owners currently pay annually.

But it’s a different story for some of the other ballot measures in the county. 

In western coastal Lane County, voters in the Siuslaw School District rejected a $139 million school bond proposal. The 5 p.m. Thursday results showed 63.22% of voters opposed the bond measure, with only 36.78% for it.

The measure sought to remodel Siuslaw Elementary School, make traffic safety improvements at district schools and build a new high school, replacing Siuslaw High School, which was built in 1970.

And in the Dexter Rural Fire Protection District, voters approved the renewal of the district’s five-year local option tax, which funds around-the-clock staffing, daily operations, equipment, training and maintenance. The 5 p.m. Thursday results showed that more than 67.98% of voters approved renewing the levy, which doesn’t increase the tax rates that property owners currently pay annually.