HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. -- Orange County voters made their decision clear in Tuesday's election with 66 percent voting "no" to the land transfer tax.

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"We've already been taxed enough on our homes, each year paying property taxes," said Jeff Woods, Hillsborough resident. "To transfer a home, I don't think they should include another tax."

Barry Jacobs, chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, said he wasn't surprised the tax didn't pass. Still, he said they thought the tax was the right thing to do.

"The legislature gave us very few options and took more money from us last year, so we'll have to do something else," he said.

Had voters passed the tax, people who sold their homes would've had to pay a tax equal to 0.4  percent of the price paid at closing. The money would then go to help the county's scools and parks.

"It would have helped a great deal," Jacobs said. "Just in looking at debt, new students, increases in insurance, we're looking at $7 [million] to $10 million in increased expenditures."

Jacobs said revenue options at the county and municipal government levels are limited and property taxes are sometimes the best route. But now, they're having to look at some other funding options instead.

"We could try and put a sales tax on the ballot in November," said Jacobs. "Or, we could just keep raising property taxes and throw our hands up in the air and say, ‘we did the best we could.'"

Orange was one of four area counties to shoot down the tax in Tuesday's election. Back in November, 16 other counties had the tax on the ballot and none of them passed it.