Sno-Isle Libraries levy wins approval from voters

Published 1:30 am Friday, August 7, 2026

Sno-Isle Libraries’ Proposition 1 levy was passing with strong support from voters in both Island and Snohomish counties.

As of the Thursday night ballot count, the measure had received about 57% of the vote overall. In Island County, about 60% of voters approved the levy, compared with about 56% in Snohomish County.

The proposition would restore the levy rate to 47 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, the same rate voters approved in 2018. Levy funding accounts for 91% of Sno-Isle Libraries’ annual budget. The library system’s 2026 operating budget is $80.9 million.

Sno-Isle Libraries operates 23 branches in Island and Snohomish counties, including five on Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, Coupeville, Freeland, Langley and Clinton.

According to Sno-Isle Libraries, the restored levy would allow the system to continue purchasing new books, offering early learning and literacy programs, providing public access to technology as laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots, keeping up with building maintenance and maintaining current staffing and open hours.

In a written statement, Sno-Isle Executive Director Eric Howard thanked voters for supporting the levy.

“On behalf of Sno-Isle Libraries, thank you to everyone who participated in this important election and for the trust our community has placed in its public library system,” he said. “Your library belongs to you.”