It’s a waiting game for supporters of Measure PH.

If approved, the bond would enact a special building tax to boost the budget of the Puente Hills Habitat Preservation Authority and help the agency protect the hills from wildfires, fight illegal dumping, pay for rangers and create interpretive programs.

The measure had 66.59% of the vote, as of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, inching its way to the needed two-thirds majority, or 66.67% to pass.

Andrea Gullo, executive director of the government agency, said they will keep monitoring the results until the L.A. County Registrar’s Office certifies the election tallies on Dec. 3.

“We’re happy we garnered a strong majority from voters who understand the need,” she said. “We’re focused now on making sure every ballot is counted and every vote recorded.”

Voters served by the area include residents of Whittier, La Habra Heights, as well as parts of the communities of Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights and Workman Mill area.

The measure’s penny-a-square-foot parcel tax would come out to $15 for a 1,500-square-foot house, officials said.

Bob Henderson, former mayor of Whittier, helped found the Habitat Authority 30 years ago. He said if the measure passes, it will be to the credit of local communities who have worked for so many years to preserve and protect the wildlife corridor north of Whittier and touching communities such as the Heights.

“But until they’re all counted, nothing is passing,” he said of the votes. “But we’re very hopeful. Getting passage would be a wonderful boost to these cities that have worked so hard for many decades to keep and preserve this unique biological resource and keep it open to the public.”

The PHHPA manages 4,000 acres of local habitat with 23 miles of public trails and has restored 312 acres in part for the wildlife in the hills. More than 30,000 people use the area, which is considered public open space. The agency also helps with wildlife preparedness efforts and emergency response in Sycamore Canyon in Whittier to Powder Canyon in Rowland Heights.

Gullo said the Habitat Authority’s main source of funding used to be “tipping fees” from the Puente Hills Landfill, which closed in 2013.

A fee of $1 per ton of solid waste tipped into the landfill was paid to the agency, totaling more than $64 million. Half of that revenue was used to buy land and the rest invested, officials said.

Losing that source of income when the landfill closed, the Habitat Authority now relies on grants. Ivan Sulic, chairman of the PHHPA, said they hope to raise an estimated $1.1 million for the long-term sustainability of the hills. They also plan to create an oversight committee made up of local residents.

The bond would also pay for maintenance of natural habitats, such as the Hacienda Hills, Turnbull Canyon, Sycamore Canyon, Hellman Park, Arroyo Pescadero and Powder Canyon.

“We’ve got our fingers crossed,” Henderson said. “This is something the public here has supported for over 30 years and now I hope they’ll continue to help protect the animals and the trails and the people enjoying this resource and keep it maintained for future generations.”

Supporters of the measure included Supervisor Janice Hahn, Roy Francis, former mayor of La Habra Heights and Hills For Everyone, a nonprofit that advocates for the Puente-Chino Hills.