BOONE COUNTY (WIFR) -- The Belvidere School District will have to turn to plan B to pay off some of its bond debt after the sales tax referendum in Boone County failed to get enough support. The school board had put a measure on the ballot asking voters to approve a 1% sales tax increase. It failed by 316 votes. The tax would have helped the Belvidere and North Boone school districts pay down bond debt from building new schools and avoid a rise in property taxes. The board could ask for voter approval again as soon as April.

"We hope that people will want to give it a second look. We think this is the best option out there right now as a tax swap,” said Dr. Michael Houselog, Belvidere Schools Superintendent. “It won’t take care of all of that long term bond debt but it will put a major dent in it."

No official campaign was launched to support the referendum and Houselog thinks that could be why it failed because voters didn't understand enough about the measure.