NEWPORT — Lincoln County Clerk Amy Southwell announced her office will conduct a hand recount of ballots cast for the Veterans Services Ballot Measure in the Nov. 4 special election.

The recount will begin at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16 and go to 4:30 p.m., resuming Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. until completed. Oregon law requires an automatic hand recount when the vote difference in an election is less than 0.2%.

The vote tally for Measure 21-235, Veterans Service Office Five-Year Local Option Tax, was 7,029 “yes” to 7,014 “no.” The 15 vote difference fell under the 0.2% margin, triggering a recount.

An observation area in the hallway of the second floor of the courthouse will be set up for the public to watch the recount on a large-screen monitor.

The proposal to drop the Lincoln Co. Veterans Service Office from the $55.9 million general fund, strained by over $6 million in recent salary increases, and leave its fate to voters was revealed only when ballots were mailed in October.

“The Veterans Service Office would receive no General Fund dollars while this five-year local option tax is in effect,” wrote county lawyer Kristen H. Yuille in the Voter’s Pamphlet. “Funds from this levy would fund the Veterans Service Office, and would remove the need to pay for the program out of the County General Fund.”

If confirmed, the measure would raise about $360,000 per year through a new property tax to pay for the three-person VSO. The office serves some of the 5,200 veterans estimated to reside in Lincoln County.