MANTI — After a final count, a slim margin of votes favoring an effort spearheaded by Sanpete County commissioners to build an $8.5 million court facility has been reversed. With the new count, the measure went down by five votes, whereas the previous tally gave it a six-vote nod.

The question before voters was whether Sanpete County should sponsor revenue bonds to construct the building, which would have housed 6th District Court operations. On election night, the vote was 2,876 "for" and 2,870 "against," a margin of six votes in favor of the bonds.

But that tabulation didn't include provisional ballots. During the final canvass, the county clerk's office declared 178 provisional ballots to be valid, and 173 of those voters voted on the court bond. The split among those votes was 81 "for" and 92 "against." That brought the final tally to 2,957 "for" and 2,962 "against."

The proposition was one of the most contentious election issues in memory in Sanpete County.

The Utah courts system currently leases space in the Sanpete County courthouse. If voters had authorized the bonds, the court system would have vacated the courthouse and leased the new building instead. The lease money would have paid off the county bonds.

Throughout the two-year controversy, commissioners and court officials maintained that the structure would not cost Sanpete County taxpayers anything.

Opposition started to coalesce when commissioners proposed to located the building on part of the Sanpete County Fairgrounds near the Manti LDS temple, a high school and a public swimming pool.

A group called Concerned Citizens of Sanpete County argued that some of the people visiting the structure would be child predators and drug abusers who could pose a danger to children.

Commissioners were about to go ahead with the project when the Concerned Citizens gathered sufficient signatures on a petition to put the measure on the Nov. 6 ballot.

A few months before the vote, the proposed site was changed, but Concerned Citizens continued to oppose the building.

"Hopefully, the entire experience will result in more openness in local government and more consideration for the opinion of the people," the opposition group said in a written statement following the canvass.

Prior to the vote, Commissioner Bruce Blackham said that if the vote was "no," the project would be dead.

After hearing the final tally, he said, "I think we move forward. We'll do the best we can in the circumstances we now find ourselves in."

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E-mail: sd@manti.com