South Whidbey port seeks levy lift to preserve fairgrounds, harbor

South Whidbey voters will decide whether the Port of South Whidbey can raise its property tax levy to keep the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds, South Whidbey Harbor and other public waterfront facilities from slipping further behind. The port is asking for a levy lid lift on the November 3, 2026 General Election ballot, a move commissioners say would add 6 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

For the typical home assessed at $866,000, the increase would work out to about $4.33 a month, or roughly $52 a year. Port officials say the money would help preserve existing assets rather than open the door to major new development, a distinction that matters in a district that says it receives no revenue from Island County and depends on property-tax support to maintain access, parking, docks and fairgrounds space.

The capital plan attached to the request totals about $19 million and stretches across the port’s four lines of business: Parks and Boat Ramps, Transportation Assets, South Whidbey Harbor, and the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds and Events Center. At the fairgrounds, the list includes a new horse barn, riding-area improvements and work on the pole barn. At the harbor, it includes electrical upgrades and breakwater stabilization. Other projects would repave the Humphrey Road Ferry Parking Lot, add a pay system there, improve sediment control at the Bush Point boat ramp, and prepare for dock improvements tied to a future passenger-only ferry.

Port Executive Director Jim Pivarnik told the board the existing levy has not kept pace with inflation, and that a higher levy would also help the district qualify for larger grants by providing matching dollars. In other words, the proposal is not only about local taxes, but also about whether South Whidbey can leverage outside money for facilities many residents already use.

The levy request also raises a stewardship question. The port became steward of the Island County Fairgrounds on March 31, 2017, and prior reporting said the levy rate has stood at 11 cents per $1,000 since that transition. Commissioners have said the district may have one of the lowest levy rates in the state. That history suggests the ballot measure is as much a reckoning with deferred maintenance as it is a preventive investment.

The port spans about 65 miles of shoreline, six public beaches and six public boat ramps, including shoreline access points at Clinton Beach, South Whidbey Harbor, Possession Beach and Bush Point. It is also a 25% owner of three Island County boat ramps that the county is responsible to operate and maintain. If voters turn the measure down, the port will be left with its existing levy and the same aging facilities, but without the added revenue it says it needs to repair them.