Strong majorities of voters in Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley backed moves to allocate tax money towards workforce housing on Tuesday, with each city passing measures to redirect money from marketing and air service into housing initiatives.
With all precincts reporting around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, around 85% of voters in Sun Valley and Hailey backed the move, along with 75% of voters in Ketchum, according to reports from the Blaine County Elections Office. Each of the measures required 60% support.
All tallies are unofficial until the County Commissioners canvas the votes in the coming days.
Though not in identical ways, all three cities backed ballot measures that asked voters to choose if their city’s “1% for Air” local-option tax should be adjusted to allocate 0.5% to support commercial air service and 0.5% for affordable-housing programs.
The vote in Ketchum and Sun Valley also extended the tax by five years.
Based on fiscal year 2021-22 projections, the new-look tax is projected to generate $4.2 million through the three cities, with $2.1 sticking with air service and marketing and $2.1 million now available for housing initiatives.
This is a developing story. For more coverage and reaction, check back with www.mtexpress.com, or pick up Friday's issue of the print paper.
Hailey passes wastewater bond
Voters in Hailey on Tuesday also authorized the city to issue a $6 million revenue bond to fund millions of dollars in upgrades and improvements to the city's sewer facility in South Woodside.
Nearly 90% of voters supported the measure.
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SOUNDS SUSPUSOUS!
So what was the actual vote count?
As reported by Karen Bossick at her site Eye On Sun Valley.
* City of Sun Valley
0.5 percent Local Option Tax for Air, Ordinance No. 572
In Favor—291 or 84.84 percent
Against—52 or 15.16 percent
0.5 percent Local Option Tax for Housing, Ordinance No. 573
In Favor—293 or 85.17 percent
Against---51 or 14.83 percent
City of Ketchum
1 percent Local Option Tax, Ordinance No. 1244
In Favor—577 or 75.72 percent
Against—185 or 24.28 percent
City of Hailey
Special Non-Property Tax Election, Ordinance 1319
In Favor—727 or 85.33 percent
Against—125 or 14.67 percent
Special Municipal Revenue Bond Election, Ordinance No. 1322
In Favor of 759 or 89.29 percent
Against—91 or 10.71 percent.
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