It’s not clear yet whether voters in Iowa City and Coraville have approved or rejected a one-cent local option sales tax to help finance flood repairs, while voters in five Linn County cities reversed course on a similar issue.
According to preliminary results available last night, the local option sales tax passed in Iowa City by just six votes. It failed in Coralville by seven votes.
But there are about 12 dozen absentee ballots which hadn’t been returned last night from residents in those two cities. Those votes may still be counted if they bear a postmark of May 4th. In addition, there may be a recount because the results were so close in both cities.
The local option sales tax passed in eight smaller cities in Johnson County and was rejected in North Liberty and West Branch.
Meanwhile, residents in five Linn County cities who had voted down a local option sales tax March 3rd voted again yesterday and approved the one-percent sales tax. It means the sales tax goes into effect July 1st in Center Point, Hiawatha, Marion, Robins and Walford.
The one percent sales tax is already being collected in other nine other Linn County cities, including Cedar Rapids, as voters in those areas approved the local option sales tax in March.