Otero County Rejects Spaceport Tax

ALAMOGORDO, NM (AP) – Otero County voters have turned down a tax to help fund the state’s commercial spaceport.

In unofficial returns with all precincts reporting from Tuesday’s election, the Otero County clerk’s office reports that more than 52 percent of the county’s residents rejected the tax.

It would have added one-eighth of a percent to the county’s gross receipts tax for the next 10 years.

The $198 million Spaceport America being built in Sierra County is expected to be completed in 2010. Dona Ana and Sierra counties earlier approved a one-quarter of 1 percent gross receipts tax for those counties.

Spaceport executive director Steve Landeene had pitched the tax to county residents, telling them it would mean economic development, tourism and education.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)