Posted on 01/07/2005 11:02:50 AM PST by Dan from Michigan
Millage election proposed for May
Howell, others eye countywide plan to beef up local school funding
Wednesday, January 7, 2005
BY STEPHENIE KOEHN
News Staff Reporter
The particulars of a long-discussed regional school enhancement millage were spelled out Monday when the Howell Board of Education got a look at the draft of a resolution calling for a countywide May election to bolster school funding locally.
The proposal asks voters for a 3-mill increase in property taxes for three years, from 2005-2007.
School districts countywide have been considering the wisdom of requesting a millage seeking a temporary increase in property taxes to help stem the fiscal bloodletting elicited by cuts in state aid.
"You are the first board to see this draft," said Superintendent Chuck Breiner, adding that, in order to set a May election date, school boards representing a majority of the student population in the intermediate school district must deliver certified copies of the approved resolution to the Livingston Educational Service Agency by Feb. 1.
Under Michigan's Revised School Code, enhancement millages must be approved by a majority of voters in the intermediate school district, which in Livingston County comprises the Brighton, Fowlerville, Hartland, Howell and Pinckney districts.
If the proposal is approved by voters and levied, the millage would raise approximately $19.8 million in 2005, to be apportioned among all five county districts based on student population. It would cost the owner of a $200,000 home an additional $600 per year in property taxes.
Howell is expected to vote on the resolution at its regular meeting Jan. 24. The Pinckney school board which, like Hartland, has gone on record supporting an enhancement millage, saw the resolution Thursday and is expected to vote on it at its next meeting, also on Jan. 24, officials said. Fowlerville, which would receive a substantial portion of the funds generated through the millage, already has declined to endorse it, Breiner said.
Although the millage would only be a stopgap measure for the Howell district, which has forecasted a deficit-funding situation to the tune of $11 million by 2007, board members seem disposed to support it.
"Asking employees to pay for health insurance will not make the (funding) problem go away," said trustee Michael Hall. "This will be an opportunity for people in the community to decide how strongly they support education. If it fails, we're going to have some awful hard work to do."
"Mike Couchman (Pinckney superintendent of schools) has changed the terminology from an 'enhancement' millage to a 'survival' millage,' " noted Treasurer Jeannine Pratt.
A meeting of school administrators, school board members and members of the public is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at the offices of the Livingston Educational Service Agency offices, 1425 W. Grand River Ave., Howell. "The intent of that meeting is to demonstrate how deleteriously each county local school district has been affected by cuts in state funding over the last five years," , Breiner said. "We hope to provide a statistical backdrop from which to understand the need for an enhancement millage.
"Livingston County is the most affluent county in the state and it gets the lowest school funding of any county in the state."
While the enhancement millage will help, he noted, it will not completely wipe out deficits anticipated by the district.
"The $19 million is divided up across the whole county," he said. "There will not be $11 million for Howell schools. We will still be in a deficit situation in the third year if the legislature does not change the basis for school funding."
I'm actually more liberal than most here on education issues(My coaching experience), and I'm not adverse to a millage or local tax increase IF the school administrators are conducting themselves in a responsible and professional matter. That has not been the case in Howell.
I'm voting NO for several reasons if this goes on the ballot(which I expect).
1. This would be the third millage (or revenue enhancement) I would be voting on since moving to Howell. I remember two the entire time I voted in the Brighton school district. A bond issue for a new high school, and a "Headlee Override" to non homesteads. Now this. For those who are out of state and do not understand the terms, I'll make it simple. "Revenue Enhancement" aka Tax increases.
2. The rainbow flag debacle. The administrators gave us a political smokescreen and extreme arrogance. There's been several stories posted on that here at FR.
3. Salary increases. The School board right after the filing deadline of the last election raised the admin salaries....while asking for the Headlee Override. The Headlee override failed the first time. The Admins and Board members called us ignorant and said we did not understand what it was. It passed the 2nd time...in August or September...with low turnout.
4. Bad budgeting. We ALL knew the state was in a budget crunch and has been for at least the last three years. Lansing can not be counted on, and should not have been. Schools need to be prepared for that. Lansing deserves SOME blame. Not ALL of it. $11 million defecit for one school district? That's unacceptable.
It's time to draw the line in the sand and to make the tough decisions. Good education can be given on leaner budgets.
Now they want more of our tax money.
My brother just built a $800K house in Howell. Wait until I send him this :) This is gonna make his day.
What irks me most of all about these jokers is that they are doing this in a 63%+ Bush area.
It's time to draw the line in the sand and to make the tough decisions. Good education can be given on leaner budgets
I agree with you. In Washington State schools "survive" (school term) on levies. They make the claim that the state doesn't adequately fund them. My complaint is that the schools develop more and more programs on their own besides what the state dictates and then they claim that they aren't adequately funded. Levies here, have been here for as long as I can remember and that is over 50 years. Once a millage or levy is adopted you might as well figure it is permanent. If a person likes paying taxes, they'll fall in love with levies. Here we have a 60% necessary to pass requirement. I am sure that this will be voted out in the near future but for the time being it does have a certain amount of power in requiring schools to be accountable.
I live in SE Michigan. Prior to the Headlee Amendment I was getting hit with 15 to 20 per cent annual increases due to the township increasing my assessed value. As you are aware, Headlee limited my actual tax increases to 5 per cent or the increase in CPI, whichever was lower. The last few years those increases have been about 2.7 percent per year.
Passing the Headlee Amendment is one of the smartest things Michigan residents have ever done.
Quote: The big trailer parks that take several school buses to pick up all the kids hardly even get touched, while the retired homeowners with no kids get nailed.
I know exactly what you mean. I pass one every day and 4 buses go their each morning + ti is close to scholl and some walk and others I'm sure get rides.
I know a guy(with 3 kids) who lives in a trailer park where they own the actual lot and his pTax is something like $175-200 per year. I live 1 mile away in a 1600 sq ft. home approaised at $180K and I pay $2500 per year + my wife and I have no kids.
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