ST. JOHNS — Voters in the St. Johns area approved a renewal of a 10-year operating millage for the Briggs Public Library.
The library serves more than 19,000 people living in the city of St. Johns as well as portions of Bengal, Bingham, Essex, Greenbush, Olive, Riley, Victor and Westphalia townships. The library district largely mirrors the boundaries of St. Johns Public Schools, and library officials asking people in the district to renew the 0.75-mill tax that funds about 80% of Briggs’ operational costs.
The library expects to collect about $716,000 for wages, materials, programming, services, and building utilities, Library Director Sara Morrison told the State Journal previously. The total budget for the library next year is expected to be $830,275.
In other Clinton County ballot proposals:
Clinton County voters approved a proposal for separate tax limitations, for four years, for Clinton County government, its townships and the Intermediate School District, 6,213 yes to 4,031 no. The millage can’t exceed 7 mills, specifically 5.8 mills for the county, 1 mill for the townships and 2 mills for the ISD.
Voters in Ovid said yes to setting an increased limitation on taxes to 2.5 mills for four years, 2027 to 2030, to provide funds for emergency services. The millage was expected to raise $92,612 in its first year, and passed 97 to 86.
Bath Township voters approved a proposal to increase the current operating millage by 1.46 mills to restore millage lost due to the Headlee Override law and allow the township to levy a full 5 mills for general operations. The increase, approved 51 to 35, would raise an additional $893,000 annually, with the full 5-mill levy generating about $3.05 million for operations.
Bengal Township voters approved three millage proposals Tuesday. They passed a proposal that was part renewal and part Headlee override for the maintenance and improvement of roads and construction of bridges, totalling 3.2 mills for four years, 227-133. It was expected to raise $233,000 a year. Voters also passed 224-133 a proposal for 1 mill for dust control that would raise $72,392 a year, and also approved 250-105 an emergency services millage of 0.75 mills for four years that would raise $54,294. Portions of the revenue were expected to be paid out to the City of St. Johns, Dallas Township and and the Clinton Area Ambulance Services Authority.
Bingham Township voters approved a renewal and Headlee override for fire and emergency services of 1 mill, most of which was a renewal, for four years. It passed 572 to 358 and was expected to raise $191,000 annually.
Voters in DeWitt Township approved a renewal and Headlee override for a police and fire millage for police and fire services 2,873 to 1,280. The renewal was for 1.22 mills and an increase of 0.25 mills for four years. It was expected to raise $1,035,000 in its first year.
Duplain Township voters by a margin of 261 to 204 approved a millage proposal for emergency services of 2.5 mills, which was an increase from the previous 1.75 mills for four years, raising an estimated $230,000 in its first year.
Voters in Essex Township OK’d a road millage renewal and increase of 0.5 mills, raising about $42,000 a year. It passed 302 yes votes to 148 no.
Fowler Public Schools voters widely OK’d a renewal of the district’s 18-mill operating millage, a tax levied by all public school districts in Michigan required to receive per-pupil funding. The tax passed 412 yes to 178 no and is levied on all property excluding principal residences and other property exempted from school operating millages. The operating millage was approved at a rate of 18.75 mills to offset future Headlee rollbacks but only 18 mills would be levied.
Lebanon Township voters approved a 2-mill renewal for road maintenance for four years, which would raise $94,000, by a vote of 86 yes and 48 no.
Voters in Victor Township overwhelmingly passed a proposal to renew a millage for emergency services of 1.5 mills for five years. It passed with 750 yes votes to 391 no. It was expected to raise $340,000 in its first year, and included a headline override to restore the tax from 1.47 mills to 1.5.
Other results were still pending. Check back for updates.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Clinton County election results: Briggs Library, many other millages passing
Reporting by Al Wilson, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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By Al Wilson, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
