According to unofficial final results from the Hall County Election Commission, 5,044 residents voted for the program and 2,415 residents voted against it. With 7,488 voters participating, the voter turnout was 28.65%.

“This is a great headline for Grand Island,” said Tonja Brown, treasurer of the Good Life For Grand Island political committee.

In June, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development approved developer Woodsonia’s application for a Good Life District permit in northwest Grand Island.

Two large parcels of land make up the Good Life District. One includes the land bordering Highway 281 from 13th Street to West Capital Avenue between Claude and North Webb Roads. The other parcel includes the undeveloped area northeast of North Webb Road and West Capital Avenue, where the Veterans Athletic Complex is located.

On October 1, the state sales tax in the district will be reduced from 5.5% to 2.75% for 30 years. In the special election, voters were asked to give the City Council the authority to recoup the 2.75% through local sales and/or business taxes. These funds would be reinvested in the region, with the city and City Council managing the funds. Property taxes cannot be levied for the economic development program, and sales taxes collected outside the district cannot be used to fund the program.

“The results of tonight’s special election are an indication of our community’s desire to grow,” Grand Island Mayor Roger Steele said in a statement. “It also makes our community the first in the state to implement this new program geared toward comprehensive development and expansion.”

The city said that once the election results are certified by Hall County Election Commissioner Tracy Overstreet, the City Council will consider creating a voter-approved economic development program.

“These results will be unofficial on Tuesday evening,” Overstreet said in an email earlier in the day. “All provisional ballots (ballots cast by voters who changed their address or name after the deadline) will be processed in the days following the election.”

Official final results would be available on Aug. 21 or later, she said. In a later email, when final results were announced, she said there were fewer than 10 provisional ballots.

“The one-week delay has been standard protocol since the passage of the voter ID law in Nebraska,” said Overstreet, who noted that the law went into effect on April 1 of this year. Elections in Nebraska cannot be certified until after a seven-day hold period for any provisional ballots that may have been cast that lacked a valid photo ID.

The Hall County Board of Elections will meet at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 21, to review the election results, Overstreet said.

The City Council will have the financial means in hand when project proposals are put forward, particularly for development on the north side of the district. Initial concepts include a sports complex and new housing on the north side of the city.

“We are thrilled by the overwhelming response,” said Brown. “We look forward to the beginning of the development, the beginning of the transformation.”