Voters almost universally rejected the opportunity to reduce their school property taxes by increasing income taxes, with only one of the 63 Philadelphia-area districts - Bristol Borough - approving the measure and only four voting yes statewide, according to a Pennsylvania Department of State compilation of returns.
The ballot question was approved in Bristol Borough by just one vote, according to unofficial returns; that count does not include absentee ballots and could change. In almost all the districts that voted no, it wasn't close; the ratio was typically better than 2-1. In some districts, the vote was 4-1 or more against; they included Bucks County's Bensalem and Centennial districts, Delaware County's Chichester, Penn-Delco, Rose Tree Media and Radnor districts, Chester County's Coatesville, Owen J. Roberts and Tredyffrin/Easttown districts, and Montgomery County's Upper Merion District. One exception was Bucks County's New Hope-Solebury district, where the question was turned down by 52 percent to 48 percent.
The tax relief votes were mandated by Act 1, the state property tax relief legislation passed last year. Other portions of the law, including sending gaming money to districts for property tax relief and requiring school budget questions in districts that want to raise taxes above a state-set inflation index, remain in place regardless of Tuesday's outcome.
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Scranton did not have the ballot question, and are to get wage tax relief.
