By DEBORAH GERTZ HUSAR

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

PITTSFIELD, Ill. -- Pike County school districts are looking at putting a school facilities sales tax before voters again in the spring.

Pikeland Superintendent Paula Hawley favors putting the question back on the ballot because 46 percent of voters supported the measure Nov. 4.

She said county superintendents "think with a little more time and a little more education of the community, there's a good chance to pass it in April."

The Griggsville-Perry, Pikeland, Pleasant Hill and Western school boards must decide in December whether to pursue the tax question, and the Pike County Board must approve placing the question on the ballot by its January meeting to meet filing guidelines.

"The voter turnout in the spring will be a lot lower, and the ones voting will probably be more aware," Pikeland Board President David Barton said.

Barton said a lot of people didn't understand the proposed 1 percent sales tax, expected to generate a maximum of $813,000 a year earmarked solely for facilities and debt reduction for the county's four school districts.

"People saw the word tax and automatically said no," Pikeland board member Dennis Wade said. "They need a little more assurance that property taxes would come down."

The Pikeland board in October voted to use proceeds from the sales tax to pay down debt and reduce the amount of money needed from property owners.

As debt is reduced, the district could use the sales tax proceeds for facility-related projects "instead of bonding the money and putting it back on taxpayers," Hawley said.

The tax would benefit outlying districts more than Pikeland because some of the money their residents spend at Pittsfield stores and restaurants will come back to those districts, Hawley said.

Barton said many people don't pay property taxes, the key local funding source for school districts, and a sales tax would tap into tourists and others to help carry some of the property tax load.

-- dhusar@whig.com/221-3379