(Source: MIRS.news, Published 05/02/23) Counties, cities and townships across Michigan were able to pass more than $1.7 billion in property taxes and bonding funds Tuesday, with the Kent County library surviving a referendum that could have removed it from a municipality.
Of the 175 local governments and school districts that released election results on their millage proposals, sinking funds or bonding requests tonight, 13% (23 out of 175) were not successful, but the rest were.
Overall, 40 of the ballot questions were for bonding requests, 38 of them for schools. Fourteen or (35%) didn't pass. This number includes three of the six largest bonding requests put before voters, all of which were school requests.
Five millage increases were rejected, three millage restorations to rates collected before a Headlee Amendment decrease failed and one was a sinking fund for an Upper Peninsula school. There were also 10 districts that had not returned results and there was one tie in St. Joseph, which ends up being a fail.
The Clinton County clerk's office, once again, failed to announce even unofficial results tonight, continuing a long practice of waiting until the following day to release local mileage proposal results. For this election, Montmorency County also didn't release its election results tonight.
The bonding issues were the largest chunk of funding for the night, with more than $787.4 million in school bonds failing, and nearly $1.5 billion in bonds passing. The largest bond issue to fail was from Saginaw Township Community Schools, which asked for nearly $243 million and the next biggest to fail was $156 million from Grand Haven Area Public Schools. The largest bond to pass was $550 million from Utica Community Schools in Macomb County.
Of the five millage increases blocked, the biggest was from Hanover-Horton School District where nearly $1.4 million in new property taxes was torpedoed. There was nearly $23.6 million in new property taxes that could be levied in the upcoming year, with the biggest amounts of each going to more than $4.7 million for schools, one in Lincoln Park, in Wayne County, and the other for the Marquette-Alger Regional Education Service Agency.
Twelve ballot questions were designed to raise money for general operations of the government. Ten passed.
Fire service was on the ballot in 25 places and passed all but twice. Police were on the ballot seven times and passed five of those times.
Of the 13 ballot proposals dealing with roads, only London Township in Monroe failed. The township asked for 2 mills over 5 years.
Parks and recreation went three for three. Libraries went four for four.
There was also more than $169 million of property taxes renewed and more than $90 million in property taxes that were restored to their original amount or higher.
Nearly $12 million in school sinking funds were approved. One sinking fund, for Munising Public School, was turned down.
Along with taxes there were several local ballot proposals, including one in Algoma Township, in Kent County, that would remove the township from being part of the Kent District Library.
Voters in Algoma Township came out overwhelmingly in favor of remaining part of the county library.
There were also two referendums that would remove a Berrien County village and Montrose in Genesee County from allowing marijuana establishments.
The village of Stevensville voted to be removed from allowing adult-use establishments in the village limits.
The city of Montrose in Genesee County opted to keep the recreational establishments.
