NOBLE COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) – Residents living in the Central Noble Community Schools (CNCS) district have voted down an operational referendum that would have increased property taxes by nearly $200 annually in a special election Tuesday.

More than 1,300 residents voted on the referendum, with 764 against the proposal and 569 in favor of it.

Results come after years of the school district losing a combined $2.4 million in state funding, which CNCS said is now going to voucher programs instead of public school students. District Business Manager Kim Baumgartner said the referendum is one solution the district sees to lessen future cuts to the school system.

The referendum would have raised property taxes by $0.19 per $100 of net assessed value. That means each household would have been paying $15.64 more in taxes per month, or about $187.72 more annually.