Early voting has begun for the May 6th special election across Michigan, with several townships around the Thumb being asked to cast their votes on millage issues.
Tuscola County’s voters are asked to consider two school district millages. Vassar Public Schools are asking voters in the city of Vassar and the townships of Denmark, Juniata, Tuscola and Vassar to approve a renewal of a 10 year, 18-mill millage for operating costs. The millage is expected to generate $1.3 million if the millage is approved and levied in 2025.
Meanwhile, three townships– those of Denmark, Gilford and Juniata— are being asked by the Reese Public School District to approve a five year, 1.5-mill millage to create a sinking fund for the district. The sinking fund would be used for real estate purchases of school building sites, construction and/or repair of school buildings, security upgrades, technology acquisition, student transportation vehicle acquisition and maintenance, and the acquisition of maintenance vehicles for the school. If the millage is approved and levied in 2025, the district estimates that $445,370 will be generated for the sinking fund.
In Huron County, Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker Schools are asking voters to approve the borrowing of Twelve Million Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($12,700,000) and the issuing of general obligation unlimited tax bonds to fund the development and equipping of school buildings, the purchase of school buses, the installation of instructional technology and the development of a playground, an athletic facility and parking areas. This issue affects voters in the townships of Brookfield, Caseville, Chandler, Colfax, Fairhaven, Grant, Hume, Lake, McKinley, Meade, Oliver, Sebewaing, and Winsor in Huron County.
Fairhaven Township is also asking voters to authorize the raising of money for the purpose of providing mosquito abatement. Money would be raised by establishing a township-wide special assessment district that imposes special assessments on benefitting lands under MCL 41.3c including up to $58.00 annually per parcel for the 2025 tax year.
Sanilac County’s Speaker and Fremont Townships are asked to consider the renewal of a sinking fund millage for Yale Public Schools. The proposal would see a seven-year renewal of a .9946 mill, which would generate approximately $550,000 if the millage is approved and levied in 2026. The sinking fund provides money for construction or repair of school buildings, as well as real estate purchases of school building sites.
In addition to the Yale Public Schools millage, St. Clair County voters are also being asked to consider Algonac Community Schools’ Operating Millage Renewal and Kenockee Township Road Improvement Millage. The Algonac Community School renewal asks for a three-year renewal of an 18.7435 mill millage for operating purposes, while Kenockee Township is asking residents to renew a 0.8 mill millage for four years to fund road improvements in the township.
Despite the school district mostly laying in Genesee County, Lapeer County’s Oregon and Elba Townships are asked to consider a 10 year, 1.3575 mill millage to create a sinking fund for Davison Community Schools. The estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2026 is approximately $1.5 million.
