The third try was the charm.

Preliminary results for the Bayfield sales tax vote showed a clear approval by voters, with 68 percent of voters voting yes in the first wave of results.

“I’m pretty excited!” said Jackie Morlan, who headed up the Save Our Streets Committee, a citizen’s group that advocated for the tax. Bayfield town residents were asked to approve a 1-cent sales tax increase to be dedicated to maintaining streets and storm-drainage infrastructure.

Bayfield voters previously had voted down the sales tax in two separate municipal elections.

“I think this time, everybody did a little piece, everybody on our committee,” Morlan said. “No one spent hours and hours on this. I’m just so glad that people listened to the media and read newspapers and become informed.”

Out of 577 votes cast, 390 were in favor of the sales tax, while 187 were against.

The town has 34 surface miles of pavement at an estimated backlog of $1.3 million in street maintenance and $1.7 million in storm-water drainage, according to the Committee to Support our Streets.

Without the sales tax, Bayfield residents would be looking at increased fees for natural gas and La Plata Electric Association franchises, parks and recreation participants and a new storm-water enterprise fund that could’ve been added to the utility bills of town residents. The sales tax was promoted as a fairer way of raising fees, because people who live outside town limits would be helping pay for street maintenance.

Town of Bayfield Question 2D

Yes: 67.59%, 390

No: 32.41%, 187