Warren County voters turned out Tuesday to turn down a proposal from St. Charles Community College (SCC) to levy a local tax with the promise of building a future technical training school.

Proposition J would have created a new property tax of 16.66 cents per $100 assessed valuation for residents in the Warren County R-III and Wright City R-II school districts. The ballot included conditions that the funding could only be used for SCC to provide services and reduced tuition for Warren County residents, and to support a Warren County tech school.

Advocates for Prop J contend that well paid jobs at local manufacturers are going unfilled because Warren County students lack opportunity to get training in technical fields such as welding, mechanics and industrial technology. Business leaders believe a tech school would support local job growth and draw new employers to Warren County.

But Prop J faced steep opposition from residents who strongly oppose new taxes and were skeptical of the need for a publicly funded technical school.

The issue failed to pass by 16 percent margin among R-III school district voters. Opposition was heaviest in rural areas of the district, but there were few voting precincts where Prop J had majority support.

The overall vote in R-III was 820 in favor and 1,141 against.

In the Wright City School District the vote was somewhat closer, failing by about a 10 percent margin. Similar to R-III, most of the voting precincts declined to support Prop J. The vote was 380 in favor and 471 against.

Supporters of Prop J remain committed to the view that the need for technical training in Warren County, and that there are opportunities for economic growth if a facility can be built here. They’re determined to continue building support for the idea.

Leon Busdieker, one of the leading local advocates pushing for a tech school, said more could be done to energize community members who are generally supportive.

“There are people who understand what we’re trying to do in order to provide some technical training opportunities. It’s just that we didn’t get enough of those people out to vote,” Busdieker commented.

SCC spokesperson Heather McDorman said that although Prop J didn’t pass, SCC will continue working with local partners. SCC previously added Warren County to its extended service area, allowing for limited educational programs with local groups.

“While the voters of Warren County did not approve Proposition J, the college remains committed to serving the community as a member of our extended service area. Many business leaders, civic groups and community supporters worked hard on the campaign and we thank them for their dedication and efforts to bring technical training to Warren County,” said McDorman.

The overall turnout for Tuesday’s vote was just under 16 percent of voters in the Warren County R-III School District and around 12 percent in the Wright City R-II School District. That’s a little less than in April, when voters also turned down a previous version of Prop J.