Graves county residents have voted down a proposed 18% property tax that would have added funding to the county school system.
74% of the more than 6000 votes were cast against the measure in a special election yesterday.
The outcome is a victory for the Graves County Citizens Against School Tax Committee, which formed and lobbied against the district after board members approved a 6.9 cents per 100 dollars increase.
School officials said the increase would have qualified the district for state matching grants needed for long overdue facility repairs.