PICKENS — The overwhelming defeat Tuesday of a proposed one-cent sales tax in Pickens County has left school district leaders scrambling to figure out a way to make improvements to worn-out, crowded school facilities and local business owners relieved the sales tax will remain the same and keep money in the county.

“I don’t know where we’ll go from here,” said school board member Shirley Jones after the final numbers were posted Tuesday night at election central in Pickens.

“It’s not a good day for the students in Pickens County,” Jones said. “They will stay in portable classrooms; they won’t be competing with the same quality as students in Anderson, Oconee and Greenville counties.”

School board member Alex Saitta, who opposed the tax hike, said the referendum results left little doubt about the mood of voters.

"The message from this vote is crystal clear," Saitta said. "Stop raising our tax rates and do a better job with the money we are already giving you."

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Voters were asked to respond to two questions Tuesday concerning the sales tax referendum.

The first question was "Should a one percent sales tax be added to help pay for bonds issued to renovate or build schools?" The second question was "Should the school district be allowed to issue $197.5 million in bonds to renovate or build schools?"

On the first question, 5,042 voted in support of it, with 9,649 opposed. In the second question, 5,529 voted in favor of the second question, while 9,182 voted against it.

District officials said the one-penny sales tax would have generated approximately $8 million per year and would be used to help finance the $197.5 million project over the next 20 years. Including principaland interest, the project would actually cost around $346 million.

The remaining amount would be funded through existing property taxes over the next 25 years, according to district officials.

Since the sales tax proposal failed, the superintendent and the district administration will work with the board to come up with another plan, said Superintendent Mendel Stewart

Stewart said he was disappointed with the election results.

"The people have spoken," Stewart said. "They've not supported our plan and will have to live with the results of that."

Throughout the campaign leading up to Tuesday's vote, opponents of the one-cent tax increase said such a hike would hurt local businesses by sending residents to neighboring counties where the sales tax is lower.

In May, the city of Easley raised taxes on prepared food and beverages sold inside the city limits from 1 percent to 2 percent, resulting in an 8 percent sales tax at restaurants.

This additional increase in Easley would have put the local sales tax at 7 percent for stores and 9 percent for restaurants, according to local business owners

The Easley Downtown Business Association unanimously voted to come out in opposition of the one-cent sales tax, according to Dave Watson, past chairman.

"Obviously, I'm relieved," Watson said Tuesday night. "I hope that those in favor understand that the majority of us are not against schools. We both want the same thing. Now the entire county can unite and move forward with a building plan that is realistic."

Supporters of the increase said the money is needed to make necessary school facilities improvements.