Many tax requests in southeast Mich. OK’d

5/8/2013

Voters in the Morenci school district approved a 7-mill bond issue on Tuesday to fund building and technology upgrades and security improvements.

The bond issue was among property tax levy requests and renewals that were decided by voters in southeast Michigan.

Ten school districts approved an 18-mill property tax renewal for businesses and second homes.

The property tax renewal was part of Proposal A, passed by Michigan voters in 1994. The proposal redefined how schools are funded across the state.

A mill is one dollar for every $1,000 of assessed valuation.

In Monroe County, operating renewals were approved for Mason Consolidated, Monroe, Airport, Whiteford Agricultural, and Summerfield schools.

In Lenawee County, voters in Onsted Community, Madison, and Clinton Community school districts approved the nonhomestead property tax renewal. The five-year operating millage for Camden Frontier Schools in Hillsdale County also was approved.

Monroe also has a 1-mill, five-year sinking-fund levy renewal on its ballot for building and site improvements. That tax, which produces annual revenue of $1,717,204 to the district, won by a wide margin.

Voters in the Madison school district approved a 0.287-mill, three-year sinking fund to pay for expenses related to its buildings. The district collects about $51,000 annually from the millage.

Two millage requests to fund the Tecumseh Library District were approved. The first issue is a 10-year, 1.15-mill renewal that was originally passed when the library district was spun off from the Tecumseh school district and formed 10 years ago. The second is a 0.2-mill increase, also for 10 years.

A 1-mill road and dust control levy in Monroe County’s Ash Township was defeated. The tax would have yielded an estimated $315,000 per year for road and bridge maintenance.