FERNDALE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A proposed levy increase that would relocate the Sandy Point fire station out of a flood zone is too close to call after the initial tally.

The levy was the lone measure on Whatcom County’s special election that was held Tuesday, April 23.

Just over 49% of voters supported the measure and nearly 51% voted against it in the initial ballot count released Tuesday night. It’s a difference of just eight votes.

Whatcom Fire District 17 was hit by two coastal floods in 2022 that destroyed its Sandy Point fire station and part of its equipment, resulting in about $750,000 in damages. It’s now looking to rebuild the station outside the flood zone in a space that the Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery offered them for free at an elevated property on Slater Road.

The second flood to hit Whatcom Fire District 17 was on Dec. 27, 2022. Photo courtesy of Fire District 17.

If the measure passes, it would raise fire district’s property tax levy to $1.25 per $1,000 of assessed value, an increase of about 56 cents.

The next ballot count will be released at 5 p.m. next Thursday, May 2.