Ontonagon Cty. voters approve millages
By STACEY KUKKONEN, DMG WriterONTONAGON - Unofficial election results have been released from the Ontonagon County Clerk Judith Roehm concerning Tuesday's elections in Ontonagon.
The Ewen-Trout Creek School operating millage passed 221 to 163 in favor of a tax increase of .5 mills - or $0.50 for every $1,000 - for eight years.
Restoring a millage under the Michigan Constitution, the millage is expected to raise about $29,514 in 2010 for the Ewen-Trout Creek School District.
Matchwood Township's proposal, asking taxes be increased by 2 mills for three years to cover operating expenses in the township, was passed in a 31 to 17 vote.
Treasurer Audrey Wagner said the money, an expected $13,254 in the first year, would pay to maintain the town hall building and other needed expenses.
"We've been having a really hard time just to keep that repaired and maintained," Wagner said in a previous story for the Gazette. "We're just down to bare bones in our budget. We've cut out just about everything we can cut out."
The town hall also serves as a voting place for local residents, she said.
Three of four proposals on the ballot in Interior Township were approved. The first millage, concerning a new fire truck for the township, will increase and renew taxes at 1.25 mills for three years in order to raise $12,236 in the first year.
The second approved millage requires the increase and renewal at .5 mills also for three years to purchase equipment for the township's fire department. The levy will cover expenses for the new equipment and will raise more than $4,000 in the first year.
Interior Township's road proposal passed 39 to 30 increasing taxes at 1 mill for three years to repair roads and provide maintenance. The mill levy will raise $9,789 in the first year.
However, residents of Interior Township voted against raising taxes 1 mill for 3 years for township general operations. The levy was expected to raise $9,789 in the first year.
The Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District had a proposal on the ballot asking for a tax increase by a .2492 mill for the education of persons with disabilities which was voted down 454 to 414 by Ontonagon County residents. The levy would have raised $183,814 from local property taxes for the school district.
Also, the voters opted against increase the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District vocational-technical education, in a 450 to 408 vote by Ontonagon County residents. The proposal would have raised $79,958 in the first year form local property taxes.
Stacey Kukkonen can be reached at skukkonen@mininggazette.com.
|
RabbitKiller
|
|
|---|---|
|
11-04-09 10:43 AM
|
Way to go Ontonagon residents. Don't let the greedy teachers dig any deeper into your pockets with new taxes. Let them cut salaries. They just voted to accept a new contract with yearly pay raises for inflation. That's why those new taxes were needed.
|