In all, 33 communities in St. Clair County will benefit
By Barb Pert Templeton
The Algonac City Council recently approved a 2025 request for local millage distribution from St. Clair County Parks and Recreation.
In a memo to the council, Algonac Treasurer Alysia Bugg told officials that each year St. Clair County distributes a portion of the county wide parks and recreation millage to the local units of government. She said this is the 31st year that St. Clair County is distributing the parks and recreation commission county millage funds collected back to local governments.
Bugg’s memo also noted that in the next year the city anticipates a $1,019 increase in their distribution, the $24,153 in the last fiscal year will be increased to $25,172.
Members of the Algonac City Council at a June 3 meeting.
The form the city must fill out in order to get their local millage distribution noted that total revenues for Algonac Parks and Recreation last year were $51,388. That figure included the county millage funds of $24,153 plus another $25,000 in estate gifts/donations to the city. Expenses for the department were listed as $123,385 which meant the expenses after the $51,388, left an overage of $71,997, which had to be covered by the city’s general fund.
In order to receive the county funds each year the municipalities must provide a description of how the dollars might be utilized in their communities. Algonac listed maintaining the city’s five parks, signs for the Bridge to Bay Trail, items for the new city pool that will open this summer and items for the new activity center being created at the former Algonac Elementary School.
“The only thing I’m going to say is I’m glad we’re not in the city of Richmond they only got $18,” Mayor Rocky Gillis commented at the June 3 meeting. “They only have 3 residents that must live in St. Clair County and that’s part of Richmond.”
A letter in the council’s meeting packet dated May 6, 2025 from Dennis Delor, director of the County of St. Clair Parks and Recreation Commission said they distribute 25% of the County Parks and Recreation Millage funds collected back to the local units of government.
The letter further stated that each governing body, whether township, board, city or village council had to formerly approve any information that would appear on their distribution request form.
The amount each municipality receives is based on the population recorded in the 2020 census. The total population for St. Clair County was recorded as 160,383.
The breakdown for the millage distribution includes 33 communities in St. Clair County, ten cities and villages and 23 townships.
Here’s a partial list of the municipality, it’s population and the dollar amount they will receive.
Cities Population Dollar Amount
Algonac 4,196 $25,172
Marine City 4,079 $24,470
Marysville 9,997 $59,972
Port Huron 28,983 $173,868
St. Clair 5,464 $32,779
Townships
Clay 8.446 $50,668
East China 3,704 $22,221
Fort Gratiot 11,242 $67,441
Ira 4967 $29,797
Port Huron 10,792 $64,741
St. Clair 7,085 $42,503
The council unanimously approved the motion for local parks and recreation millage distribution. Councilman Michael Bembas was absent from the June 3 meeting.
