MUSKEGON, MI — Voters approved a renewal of a regional enhancement millage Tuesday that would provide 18 districts and charter schools in Muskegon County with funds to invest in security and technology.
The proposal on the May 2 election ballot passed 58% to 42%, with 12,711 votes in favor and 9,193 against, according to unofficial election results from the Muskegon County Clerk’s Office.
Some voters in Ottawa and Oceana counties were eligible to cast ballots. Those figures are not included in the Muskegon’s clerk’s total. The measure passed in Ottawa with 59.9% of the vote, passing 259 to 170 and failed in Oceana, 131 to 142, according unofficial results from Ottawa and Oceana county clerk’s websites.
In the lead up to the election, local school leaders said the renewal of the funds was vital for keeping technology and security infrastructure up to date in Muskegon County’s schools, which support approximately 26,000 students. The millage was first approved in 2014.
The tax will continue to levy 0.9831 mills, or $0.9831 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation, for the next 10 years, from 2024 to 2033. For the owner of a home valued at $200,000, that would come out to just under $100 a year in taxes, officials say.
The tax would generate approximately $5.5 million in its first year, which would be distributed based on per-pupil counts to 18 public schools and charter academies: Fruitport, Holton, Mona Shores, Montague, Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, North Muskegon, Oakridge, Orchard View, Ravenna, Reeths-Puffer, Whitehall, Muskegon Covenant Academy, Muskegon Maritime Academy, Muskegon Montessori Academy for Environmental Change, Three Oaks Academy, Timberline Academy, and the MAISD.
Each school district determines it will use the funding from the regional school enhancement millage.
For example, Fruitport has previously used some of its funding for security upgrades like purchasing new security cameras and boosting the district’s wireless infrastructure to make sure Fruitport’s surveillance systems are up-to-date, Fruitport Superintendent Jason Kennedy previously told MLive.
At Mona Shores, the funding has been used to hire two school resource officers from the Norton Shores Police Department, Superintendent Bill O’Brien said. The officers provide added security and build relationships with students.
Read more:
Voters reject $32M Whitehall schools bond proposal
Ottawa County voters approve operating millage renewals for 4 school districts
Land sale for ‘transformational’ waterfront development approved by Holland voters
