Certification of votes from Maumelle's March 13 special election didn't change a narrow outcome on one ballot issue once outstanding ballots were accounted for, Pulaski County Election Commission Elections Director Bryan Poe said.
A one-half percent sales tax to support a bond issue for Maumelle to pay for a new Interstate 40 interchange passed by only 18 votes, unofficially, on election night. However, with 20 absentee ballots and five provisional ballots still out at that point, it had been possible for the result to change.
No overseas ballots were returned, though, so the result wouldn't change, Poe said Monday afternoon, prior to the Election Commission meeting to certify the election results Monday evening. The vote on the interchange even increased to a 19-vote margin when all ballots were counted.
Absentee ballots must be postmarked by election day and received by 10 days afterward. That deadline was Friday.
Voters approved a permanent one-half percent city sales tax for public safety purposes and rejected a one-half percent tax to support bonds for sewer service extension in the three-issue election. The election drew a turnout of 20.33 percent of Maumelle's registered voters, according to commission figures.
Final official results are:
A one-half percent city sales tax for public safety:
For 1,409
Against 1,251
A one-half percent sales tax to support bonds for a new interchange:
For 1,340
Against 1,321
A one-half-percent sales tax to support a bond issue for sewer extension:
For 1,275
Against 1,382
Collection of the taxes within Maumelle will begin July 1.
Metro on 03/29/2018