Sierra County appears poised to OK spaceport tax

Voters in Sierra County appear on their way to easily approving a 1/4 percent increase in the gross receipts tax to help fund Spaceport America.

Not all results are in, but the current count is 1,471 votes, or 68 percent, in favor of enacting the tax, and 643 votes, or 32 percent, opposed to enacting the tax.

Those totals come from early and absentee voting and three of Sierra County’s 12 precincts. The votes that have been tallied add up to 2,163, or 29 percent of the 7,389 registered voters in Sierra County. Some 18.5 percent of registered voters cast their ballots early or absentee.

By comparison, total turnout in Doña Ana County a year ago was 18 percent. The tax was approved there by a 270-vote, 1.6-percent margin.

Steve Landeene, the executive director of the spaceport, said he wasn’t ready to celebrate yet.

“So far the precincts are very favorable and we’re feeling good at the moment, but we’re going to wait and see what happens,” he said in a phone interview. “I’m going to wait until the last vote’s in, but early returns are very positive. … It’s a good moment.”

I’ve already written about the importance of today’s vote to the spaceport and what the next steps would be if the tax was approved. Click here to read that article.