MONTE VISTA — Monte Vista voters on Tuesday soundly defeated a measure seeking permission to allow marijuana facilities in the city limits. Unlike Alamosa, the marijuana questions before Monte Vista voters were rolled into one ballot initiative asking if voters wanted to allow medical and retail marijuana sales within the city. With about 65 percent voting against the ballot question, it failed by nearly 300 votes, with 653 “no” votes cast and 356 “yes” votes.

As in Alamosa, Monte Vista voters agreed to impose taxes on marijuana sales, if the ballot issue passed. Monte Vista voters approved an 18-percent on both retail and medical marijuana sales, with 535 voting for the tax and 428 against it. Since the ballot issue permitting marijuana sales in the city limits failed, however, the tax will not be imposed.

Monte Vista voters also approved a broadband-enabling ballot initiative by a wide margin, 599 to 390.

In addition, voters seated two councilors and a mayor who had run in a joint campaign — Dale Becker, mayor (unopposed) and Gary Johnson and Victor Sigala, city councilors. Incumbent Matthew Martinez was unseated in Tuesday’s election. Becker received 851 confidence votes. Sigala received the highest number of votes in the three-way race for two open council seats, with 709 votes, Johnson received 558 votes and Martinez received 495 votes.