More than three-quarters of Riverton residents who voted in Tuesday's primary disapproved of the city's plan to renovate the former Riverton Elementary School, according to complete but unofficial results.
The city wanted voters' approval to sell $4 million in general obligation bonds to turn the old school building into a City Hall and cultural center.The bond sale would have increased property taxes by about 5 percent, adding about $48 to the annual tax bill on a house valued at $100,000. Nearly 2,000 people voted.
"It's a surprise to me that we've got that kind of turnout and that we had that kind of result," city administrator William Way said. "We felt the race was going to be much closer that than. I'm quite alarmed by (the result)."
Way accused opponents of the measure of distributing inaccurate information.
"I think there was a lot of confusion about the information that was put out," he said. "What I've been hearing is overwhelming support for a community center in Riverton. There were concerns about that particular facility."