Staff photo

Voters in Fayetteville overwhelmingly passed a 1-cent sales tax renewal in a special election on Tuesday.

Preliminary numbers show the measure was approved by a vote of 2,428 to 831.

Mayor Lioneld Jordan, who stood quietly near the back of the room while votes were being counted, was visibly relieved once the results were announced.

“I have always believed in the citizens of Fayetteville for always doing the right thing,” said Jordan. “When you see them pass a tax like this by almost 75 percent, you can truly say that they voted to extend their quality of life in this city.”

The 18-year-old penny sales tax must be renewed every 10 years. The money – about $15.4 million in Fayetteville’s general and capital improvement funds – goes towards a variety of uses, including city employee payroll, street and sidewalk work, trail construction and payments to outside groups, like the Fayetteville Boys & Girls Club.

Voter turnout was pretty low this time around. The tax was first adopted in 1993 by a vote of 3,675 to 619. It was renewed in 2002 by a vote of 2,531 to 789.

According to election officials, there are 42,732 registered voters in Fayetteville.

With an extension now adopted, the tax will remain in effect until June 2023.