Lansing area townships, schools have handful of issues on ballot Tuesday
LANSING — Voters in three Eaton County townships, and a handful of Lansing area school districts, will cast ballots Tuesday in the smallest election of the year.
There are no candidates on the ballot, but proposals include a new public safety building and separate storage facility in Delta Township, fire department and library funding in Vermontville and Windsor townships, and proposals for four school districts in the region. School board candidates in Michigan appear on November ballots.
Polls are open in Michigan from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you aren’t sure where to vote, go to https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/index or call your local or county clerk for assistance.
If you voted absentee, you must turn in your ballot before polls close Tuesday. Remember to make sure your signature is on the return envelope and matches your signature on file with the clerk’s office.
Here’s a rundown of what will appear on local ballots:
Delta Township public safety
Delta Township voters will decide whether to approve a $16 million bond for the “purpose of constructing, equipping and furnishing a replacement public safety facility and adjacent storage building.” Officials have said the existing building, which houses the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office Delta substation, is structurally deficient.
If approved, township property owners would pay a rate of about 1.12 mills for 10 years. That proposal if passed would cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $100,000 about $112 a year.
The proposal is supported by Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reich, Delta Township Supervisor Ken Fletcher, Neighbors for Delta Public Safety and others.
“I fully support the Delta Township Public Safety Facility Bond Proposal,” Reich said in a statement. “Having a completely functional public safety building is essential for helping to recruit and retain a diverse workforce in a highly competitive job market. This new state-of-the-art facility will improve the ability of Eaton County Sheriff’s Office - Delta Patrol to best serve the public.”
The new building will provide enhanced security, appropriate technology and evidence storage, facilities for female deputies, witness and victim interview rooms, and appropriate workspace for deputies working to respond to public safety needs, according to a statement from the neighbors group.
Vermontville fire and library
Vermontville Township has two proposals on the ballot.
The first is to fund fire services. Officials are asking for 1 mill for five years, of which 0.97 mills is a renewal of a millage rate that expired in 2022, and .03 mills is additional levy to restore the millage rate previously authorized. It would expire in 2027 and fund operational, maintenance and purchases for the fire department. It would raise about $65,000 in the first year and cost the owner of a home with a $100,000 taxable value about $100 a year.
The second proposal is for 1 mill for library services, also for five years through 2027. Much of the millage, 0.97 mills is a renewal of a rate that expired in 2022, and .03 mills is to restore the previous rate. It would also collect about $65,000 in the first year for the township’s library and cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $100,000 about $100 a year.
Windsor Township library
Windsor Township officials are asking voters to approve 0.08 mills for the Dorothy Hull Library. The proposal is for 10 years through 2032 for operating, maintaining and equipping the library. The millage would raise about $238,841 in the first year and cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $100,000 about $80 a year.
Webberville Community Schools
Webberville Community School is proposing a levy of 2.85 mills for 10 years to create a sinking fund for the purchase of real estate, repair of school buildings, security upgrades and technology improvements. The millage would raise about $435,809 in the first year and cost the the owner of a home with a taxable value of $100,000 about $285 a year.
Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools
Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools is asking voters to approve a bond of $17.6 million to build, furnish, and equip additions to its elementary and middle/high schools, including remodeling and reequipping school buildings, including HVAC upgrade, new technology, athletic field improvements and other projects such as parking lots. The proposal would cost property owners an additional 1.14 mills per year, although school officials said because of other millages that are expiring, the net effect would be 0.75 mills. The proposal would cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $100,000 about $75 more each year.
Middleton Fulton Schools
Middleton Fulton Schools has two proposals on the ballot and an operating millage proposal. The operating millage of 18 mills is levied by every public school district in Michigan and applies to all property, except principal residences and other property exempted under Michigan law. The millage is required for districts to obtain their per pupil funding from the state. Fulton's renewal is for four years, through 2026, and includes an increase of 0.5 mills to restore the full 18 mills the district is allowed to levy.
Fulton is also asking for a sinking fund millage for building improvements. The proposal is for additional millage — 0.15 mill for four years through 2026 — to restore the maximum mills for building and site sinking fund purposes previously approved by voters. The millage would generate about $33,783 in the first year and cost the owner of a home with a taxable value about $15 a year.
Laingsburg schools
Laingsburg also has an operating millage proposal on the ballot. The renewal is for 10 years, from 2024 to 2033, and would raise about $569,443 in the first year. As with other school operating millages, the tax does not apply to principal residences but rather commercial and industrial and other properties.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing area townships, schools have several issues on ballot
