The bid to annex the greater Maple Valley area into Public Hospital District No. 1, which operates Renton's Valley Medical Center, was losing by an overwhelming margin in late returns that included all but recently mailed absentee ballots.

"Clearly we are disappointed because we were prepared to open a wonderful health-care facility," in the Maple Valley area, said Joyce Shaw, spokeswoman for Valley Medical Center. "We recognize the voters have spoken and we respect their decision."

In Redmond, the proposed property-tax increase that would mainly pay for more firefighters and police employees was too high to convince residents to get on board, said those opposed to the measure.

The tax increase was 65 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value, from $1.23 to $1.88, starting in 2007. That means a home assessed at $350,000 would have seen a $227.50 tax increase. The city said the increase was needed to keep up with inflation and population growth, while those against the tax argued it was excessive.

"We'll just have to go back to work," said Redmond City Councilman Pat Vache. "There really isn't a contingency plan in place. We spent the last two years developing this plan and it was pretty well thought out."

The measure would raise $6.5 million in 2007 to pay for an additional nine full-time employees at Fire Station 12 in the Overlake area and nine more in the police department. The funding would also have gone toward park maintenance, infrastructure replacement and restoring hours of operation at community centers.

Those against the tax argued that it was excessive and premature.

Former City Councilman Richard Grubb, who heads the opposition group Financial Accountability In Redmond, said 25 percent of the funding would go to ongoing overhead costs rather than be earmarked for specific needs.

The group also believes that financial projections are better than the city predicts. Opponents challenged the language of the ballot measure in King County Superior Court, saying it was biased. In a victory for the city, Judge Dean Lum made only minor changes in the measure's wording.

Hospital District No. 1: The annexation bid had ignited a storm of controversy in the past several weeks from residents and city officials who accused the hospital district of using underhanded techniques to get the initiative on the ballot.

Two residents successfully fought in King County Superior Court to change the wording on the ballot measure to include that property owners in the annexation area would be taxed to fund the district. The current rate is 59 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

Hospital-district officials said the annexation was necessary because an increasing number of patients from that region use Valley Medical Center and should pay taxes to support it. The district planned a new urgent-care clinic in Maple Valley if the annexation is approved.

The annexation would have been the first for the district, which serves residents in Kent, Renton and Covington and a small slice of Bellevue and Newcastle. The district generates $14 million annually in taxes and includes primary-care and other health-services clinics.

The annexation would have added 25,000 households from the Maple Valley/Black Diamond area, as well as a portion of Enumclaw.

Snohomish County: A $110.7 million proposal to rebuild Stanwood High School and remodel four other schools in Stanwood-Camano School District was failing in absentee ballots counted Tuesday. Voters also were rejecting a $5 million technology levy and an $8.8 million bond to improve the district stadium.

"We believe we listened to voters. It's disappointing," said Stanwood-Camano Superintendent Jean Shumate.

In other Snohomish County ballot measures, Sultan and Index school districts were approving operating levies. Voters in Fire District 8 were approving a tax increase, while those in Fire District 18 were turning one down.

Shoreline: A proposition to authorize the city to issue $18,795,000 in general obligation bonds for parks and open space was ahead Tuesday in early absentee returns.

Des Moines: A proposal to increase property taxes to $1.60 per $1,000 of assessed value to restore police department staffing was leading by a considerable margin in early absentee returns.

Seattle Times staff reporters Lynn Thompson and Christopher Schwarzen contributed to this report.

More Eastside news headlines...