Voters in two Warren County school districts voted down proposals that would have expanded the taxing district of St. Charles Community College (SCC).

Proposition J asked voters in the Wright City R-II and Warren County R-III school districts to approve a property tax of 17.96 cents per $100 assessed valuation in order to become part of SCC’s college district.

In exchange, the president and elected board of SCC had promised to bring technical and skilled manufacturing training programs to Warren County, and eventually build a local technical school campus.

Voting results in both school districts were within about a 10 percent spread between yes and no, with about 45 percent of voters in favor. The vote count from Election Day was 838 in favor and 1,042 against in the Warren County R-III School District; and 620 in favor and 733 against in the Wright City R-II School District.

Supporters in the local business and education communities had been pushing for Prop J as a way to establish more technical and manufacturing skill training in Warren County. Their belief is that creating a steady supply of skilled workers will fill the needs of current employers and draw new manufacturing businesses into the area.

Without funding support from Prop J, it could be a long road to setting up that sort of training, advocates previously told The Record.