GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska (KSNB) – The Good Life District special election in Grand Island was a first for Nebraska in many ways.
It was the first all-mail vote since the passage of voter ID laws and also the first time that residents in a state “Good Life District” voted on whether the city would get back sales tax revenue that the state foregoes.
Although the results are still unofficial, Hall County Elections Supervisor Tracy Overstreet will work to certify them on August 21.
Overstreet believes the outcome is unlikely to change despite the ongoing legal battle over felons’ voting rights.
“That lawsuit is still pending, the Nebraska Supreme Court has agreed to hear it, and I think that will be at the end of the month,” Overstreet said. “I don’t think that’s really going to affect this election because the decision of the Grand Island public was so clear that I don’t think it’s going to change the outcome in any way.”
Tonja Brown, chair of Grow Grand Island, said if these results hold, the city will have busy times ahead.
“The next step for us is to continue to educate the public about what is at stake. And the city certainly needs to step in now. They need to put in place an economic development program, they need to put in place the application process, they need to see these projects get started and it’s time to roll up their sleeves,” Brown said.
Laura McAloon, city administrator of Grand Island, is convinced that the city has a bright future ahead of it with this “Good Life District.”
“I think Grand Island will be the first city to actually begin the improvements in the Good Life District, and I think we will be the first city to actually see the benefit of what the state was trying to accomplish with this new economic development program,” McAloon said.
The state is expected to implement the new sales tax program on October 1 and begin returning sales tax revenues to Grand Island on January 1.
In the meantime, the city must find a way to make the sales tax the same for everyone. One option would be a trade tax for companies in the “Good Life District,” but this would only apply until December 31 of this year.
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