Eureka Springs voters rejected a permanent entertainment district on Tuesday.
The unofficial results were:
Against 641
For 518
In February, the Eureka Springs City Council passed an ordinance that allowed an entertainment district that would have been in place from March to September,because of a sunset clause.
But after only three days, a petition drive stopped that entertainment district until Election Day so voters could decide if they wanted to repeal the ordinance that created it, which they did.
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Meanwhile, Mayor Robert "Butch" Berry said he and the City Council decided to put a question on the ballot to find out how voters felt about permanent entertainment districts in general -- not specifically the entertainment district that had ended in September and would also be on the November ballot because of the referendum petition.
"I think this is a great idea," Council Member Melissa Greene said during a July meeting. "This doesn't mean any of us are supporting or nonsupporting of it. I think our citizens have a right to decide this."
Berry said he was disappointed with the outcome on Tuesday.
"I'm disappointed that the concept of an outdoor entertainment district that would allow people to drink alcohol outside of an establishment was defeated," he said. "I thought it was an element that would help the tourism, especially in these pandemic times."
Berry said some of the criticism of the entertainment district on social media was that it wasn't defined well enough.
"Some people thought the entertainment district was too large and the hours might have been too long," said Berry.
Eureka Springs, population 2,073, relies on tourism.
The idea of the entertainment district has been hotly debated for months.
While the idea of a permanent entertainment district has been contentious, the city often allows such areas temporarily during festivals.
"There were a lot of people in town who just wanted an answer, and I think that's fair just to answer it once and for all," Council Member Susan Harman said during the July meeting. "Personally I don't care if they vote yes or no, I just want them to vote. ... We're looking forward to seeing what that vote comes out to be. It just gives us an opportunity to have a clear vote and a clear directive from the citizens."