In Homer's special election, Tuesday, Proposition I passed - that's according to unofficial results released by the city Tuesday night.
Proposition I will suspend .75 percent of city sales tax to the Homer Accelerated Roads and Trails program, for three years.
The Fund was created to pay for city road and trail improvements. It holds 7 million dollars. City leaders needed a vote of the public in order to move the money. The proposition redirects nearly a million dollars from the roads and trails fund into the general budget – about the amount officials say they’re short this budget cycle. City officials say they hope to come up with a new funding strategy over the next three years
The city launched a campaign aimed at getting voters to say yes to the proposition. The city of Homer, along with many other small governments, faces a budget shortfall this year due to declining oil revenue for the State of Alaska.
The city says a total of 588 voters cast ballots in the special election. That’s a 13 percent turnout. There are 4,531 registered voters in Homer.