It was the only school board in the state to turn down gambling dollars to lower property tax bills.
But the voters of the Eastern Lancaster County School District overturned that decision on Tuesday.
When asked if they wanted state money to lower property taxes, they overwhelmingly said yes.
Of the 10,948 residents who cast their votes on the referendum question, 7,663, or 70 percent, voted for accepting the state money and 3,285, or 30 percent, agreed with the majority of the school board that they wanted no part of gambling money to fund education.
Tim Shay, spokesman for a grassroots group in favor of accepting the money, could not be reached for comment this morning.
But Tuesday night he told the Intelligencer Journal that the strong vote in favor of accepting the state money was not a surprise.
"The people have spoken," Shay said. "But it wasn't easy. There were a lot of people who worked real hard on a grassroots level, including Democrats, Republicans and Independents."
Chuck Trupe, school board vice president, is one of the five school board members who voted last May not to accept the slot-machine revenue. He spent Tuesday at the polls handing out palm cards to explain to voters that the money to offset taxes is raised through gambling.
"My goal yesterday was not to persuade people on how to vote but to inform them on what they were voting on," Trupe said this morning in an e-mail.
Eastern Lancaster County voters "made it very clear that they do not mind funding their children's education with money lost by individuals gambling at casinos," he wrote.
Approving the referendum question means that in the 2009-10 school year, qualified homeowners will see property tax increases reduced by the gambling proceeds.
To qualify, a person must live in their home full time, have their name on the deed, and can't receive homestead exemption from any other county or state.
Also, homeowners must complete and submit a Homestead Exclusion application and have it approved by the Lancaster County Assessment Office before March 1.
It's been a journey to this point.
The controversy began on May 29 when the Elanco School Board, in a 5-3 vote, rejected $441,818 in state gambling funds earmarked for the district. The money was put back into the state pool and divided among participating school districts.
As a result, the owners of 6,644 properties in Eastern Lancaster County School District who qualified for farmstead and homestead exemptions did not get a $66.53 reduction on their 2008-09 tax bills.
State law required the district to put a referendum on the ballot asking residents what they want for 2009-10 and beyond.
While the majority of voters approved accepting the state money, among those who rejected it was Holly Gage of Bowmansville.
"I support property tax relief, but not at the expense of someone's disease," she said, referring to gambling addiction.
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