Faced with declining enrollment, voters in two of Jewell County’s three school districts voted to merge in Tuesday’s elections.

Elsewhere in Kansas, Sunday liquor sales narrowly won approval at Oberlin in Decatur County, a quarter-cent sales tax for economic development was rejected in Finney County, and a new jail won approval in Stevens County.

School consolidation talks began nearly a year ago in Jewell County, about 80 miles northeast of Salina.

The ballot issue, which won approval with an unofficial count of 731 to 164, spells the end of the White Rock and Mankato school districts, which have a combined enrollment of 312.

“The ‘Yes’ vote was such a wide margin,” said Bill Walker, superintendent of both districts. “I think that means that people understood well.”

A third district with about 160 students, Jewell-Randall, opted out of the consolidation talks.

John Kemmerer, president of the Jewell-Randall School Board, said survey results showed district residents weren’t ready for consolidation, though it might be a possibility in the future.

“We’ll combine with somebody,” Kemmerer said. “I hope I’m not on the school board at that time.”

At Oberlin in the northwest corner of Kansas, voters approved Sunday liquor sales by an unofficial count of 386-358 in a mail-ballot special election. The voter turnout was 67 percent, said Decatur County Clerk Marilyn Horn.

“For Decatur County, I’m really surprised,” Horn said. “But nobody can holler. That’s the way the election went.”

In the southwest, Finney County voters rejected a quarter-cent sales tax that would have paid for enhanced economic development efforts, including the development of an industrial park and increased job-training efforts.

The measure failed 1,579-1,327 in the unofficial tally.

“I can tell you, that’s a disappointment,” said Dennis Smith, chairman of the economic development corporation.

Bill King, a farmer and landlord who opposed the plan, said lower taxes go further in promoting growth. The sales tax would have generated around $1.2 million per year.

“It’s a lot of money,” King said. “We’ve already spent a lot of money on economic development and it’s gone nowhere.”

A quarter-cent sales tax is currently generating funding for the planned upgrade of U.S. 50 west of Garden City. Under the proposal voters rejected, the sales tax revenue would have been redirected to economic development efforts in 2008 when the existing tax is scheduled to be phased out.