Special election costs Cityscapes $32,830

Supporters of a proposed downtown events center will pay $32,830 for the special election earlier this month in which their idea was defeated.

Fargo City Auditor Steve Sprague said Monday about $20,000 of the expense was to pay election workers.

Other election costs included the ballots, programming machines and advertising.

Cityscapes Development offered to pay for the election from the start to expedite the process.

The May 3 vote asked for a 31/2-year extension of the half-cent Fargodome sales tax to pay for the $40 million events center in downtown Fargo. The city's Home Rule Charter requires 60 percent voter approval for any sales tax.

The final vote of 11,925 against to 4,969 in favor, 29 percent approval, fell far short of the requirement.