By Todd Wineburner

Pontiac residents went to the polls and rejected a proposed sales tax increase, and the property tax relief that was supposed to come with it. By a margin of 53 to 47 percent, the ballot measure that would have created a new sales tax on a limited number of items was voted down. The revenues of that tax would have been earmarked for property tax rebates. Pontiac Mayor Bob Russell and other city officials campaigned for the proposal, saying that most of the sales tax revenue would come from tourists rather than Pontiac residents. There is no word on whether the proposal will be presented to voters again in the future.