MOULTRIE, Ga. — A six-year extension of a one-cent sales tax sailed to passage with more than 85 percent of the vote.

A sparse 4.26 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the special election — either in advance or at the polls on Tuesday — approving the countywide special purpose local option sales tax. Supporters of the penny tax numbered 703, with 121 voting in opposition.

The sales tax is expected to bring in as much as $31.4 million over six years and will be split between the county and municipalities based on population.  Some of the proceeds — $500,000 — will go toward economic development, $1 million to Colquitt Regional Medical Center, and $600,000 toward recreation.

The vote total was low even for a special election on a tax question, said Colquitt County Probate Court Judge Wes Lewis, whose office oversees county elections.

The announcement that schools were closing for the next three days may have dampened turnout as parents scrambled to figure out how they will handle child care for those three weekdays ahead of a week’s scheduled spring break.

The Colquitt County School System announced Tuesday morning that it would close for the rest of the week due to a high incidence of illness as influenza, strep throat and stomach viruses made the rounds.

The sales tax approved Tuesday goes into effect in January 2019 and will be a smooth continuation of the current sales tax approved by voters six years ago.

The county held the vote at this time because in the event it had failed the state requires waiting an entire year before putting the question back to voters, Colquitt County Administrator Chas Cannon said after the vote. That would have given the county another chance in 2018 to present the sales tax to voters before the current sales tax expired.

On Nov. 7 voters will be asked to approve a penny sales tax for road improements.

That tax would be used to resurface only county roadways and to roll back property taxes. The latter will be possible because the county would be able to use the Transportation SPLOST pay for projects currently funded through levies on property.

“I think the voters chose wisely,” Cannon said of Tuesday’s vote. “(With SPLOST) people from out of town pay this tax. People from outside Colquitt County are helping buy ambulances and backhoes.”