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Voters in two of four participating south Davis County cities approved a one-tenth-cent recreation, arts and parks tax Tuesday.

The sales-tax levy will help fund construction of a South Davis Performing Arts Center in Centerville. And Centerville folks gave the measure hearty support with 65 percent voting in favor.

In neighboring Bountiful, a city recently hit with hefty property-tax increases, it squeaked through with 51 percent of the vote.

But Woods Cross voters - 51 percent - narrowly nixed the tax. And in retail-rich West Bountiful, where 710 voted against it and 703 in favor, the outcome could change as provisional ballots are counted.

"Centerville voters sent a clear message that this is something that's important to the community," said Ronald Russell, the city's mayor. Russell also found the close votes in the other three cities encouraging, recalling that in 2004, a countywide RAP tax initiative only netted 30 percent of the vote.

"In a year where taxes in general were looked upon with so much disdain in Davis County, for us to win in two cities and come close in two others was a huge victory to me," he said.

Ronald Mortensen, co-founder of CitizensForTaxFairness, cautions that the narrow Bountiful victory does not represent a mandate or broad consensus.

"It passed so closely that I hope they think seriously about whether they should implement it," Mortensen said, adding that he plans to encourage the City Council not to impose the new tax.

The cultural-arts hub - to be funded through Centerville's tax increment, proceeds from the new tax, donations and perhaps county tourism-tax revenues - falls in the category of "nice-to-have" but beyond the core function of government, says Mortensen.

The tiny nonfood tax - $1 is generated from every $1,000 spent in the two approving cities - is a small price to pay for enhanced quality of life, reasons Russell. Once financing is nailed down, Russell expects construction to begin on the 70,000-square-foot facility some time next year.