Information on the Feb 24th Road Millage

I have been ask many questions on the proposed Road Millage ballot proposal that will be on the February 24th election ballot.

I hope this information will answer many of your questions, please pass this on to others that may have questions and feel to contact me if you have more questions, 

if I can't answer the questions I will find out the answers and get them to you or direct you to someone that can answer them for you.

   

What this means for you, is that YOUR money stays in YOUR municipality, Muskegon Township residents money only gets spent for roads in Muskegon Township, the same for Fruitland, 

Cedar Creek,  Montague etc.

YOUR roads get fixed, replaced, repaired as you see fit within your own area with your 

own money, no other area can use your funds.

To ease any concerns or uncertainty that existed the Road Commission passed a Policy to confirm the new policy that will govern the millage funds for YOUR roads.

 

 MU S K E G O N  C O U N T Y  R O A D  C O M M I S S I O N

POLICY

for 

DISTRIBUTED FUNDS RECEIVED FROM

FEBRUARY 24, 2015 MILLAGE

ADOPTED January 21, 2015 

The Muskegon County Road Commission has requested that a ballot initiative be placed before voters to increase funding for local road preservation and improvements.  The Muskegon County Board has agreed with that request and placed a proposal before the electorate on February 24, 2015.

 The proposal is for 1.5 mills for 10 years and is estimated to raise 6.75 million dollars the first year.   The ballot language allows for funds raised within cities and villages to be disbursed to the cities and villages for road improvement purposes.   Funds generated from the townships will be disbursed to the County Road Commission.

The funds received by the County Road Commission from the successful county wide millage on February 24, 2015 will be tracked and disbursed for the sole purpose of funding the repair, maintenance and improvements of primary and local roads.   The funds received by MCRC will be tracked by individual township and funds received from one township will not be disbursed for projects in another township.

MCRC will generate an annual accounting of the funds by Township and provide that report by hard copy or electronically to each township.  MCRC staff will meet annually or more as needed with the township or their appointed representatives for the purpose of selecting projects that will be funded by revenue from the February 24, 2015 millage.

 

This will provide a substantial funding for roads in each municipality, here is a breakdown by area.

 In many areas your local budget included a large dollar match for local road funding. For example Muskegon Township budgets $100,000.00 annually for their match with Road Commission funds to repair their local roads. If the proposed ROAD MILLAGE PASSES, Muskegon Township can put that $100,000.00 into other needed Township services and the millage will provide $520,000.00 annually for road repairs in their Township, over $400,000.00 more repaired roads, PLUS $100,000.00 added services to area residents.

If you live in one of the Cities that already has a millage for roads your municipality can exempt itself from this millage so you will not have to pay twice, but I do encourage you to vote in favor of it so that other municipalities can take advantage of the opportunity to get their roads repaired too.
 

This is the actual wording of the proposal on your ballot:

February 24, 2015 Election Muskegon County, MI
Proposal Language Muskegon County Road Millage Proposal

Shall the Muskegon County Road Commission as authorized by the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners levy against all taxable real and personal property within the County of Muskegon, as
provided for by Section 6 of Article IX of the Michigan Constitution of 1963, the amount not to exceed $1.50 per thousand dollars of taxable valuation (1.5 mills) for a period of ten (10) years, 2015 through 2024, inclusive, for the sole purpose of funding the repair, maintenance and improvements of primary roads, major streets, local roads, and bridges in each city, township and village in the County of Muskegon? The money raised can’t be used for any other purpose. The proposal would increase property taxes for 10 years by a 1.5 mill county-wide, which would raise approximately $6,750,000 in the first year. That means that for every $100,000 in the market value of a home and $50,000 in taxable value, property taxes would increase by $75 per year, or approximately $6.25 per month, for the next 10 years. 

The funds to be disbursed to the Muskegon County Road Commission, the Cities of Montague
Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, North Muskegon, Norton Shores, Roosevelt Park, Whitehall, and the villages of Casnovia, Fruitport, Lakewood Club and Ravenna. If approved, this would be a new millage, to be levied beginning July of 2015. 

If you need an Absentee Ballot for the February 24th election click on the link to access an application: AV Ballot Application

 How to figure your cost for this Millage

  Assessed valuation     $44,800

                              1.5 mil levy    $44,800 x .0015 = $  67.20

I hope this helps answer some of your questions.

Susie Hughes

Muskegon County Commissioner

231-343-4092

hughessu@co.muskegon.mi.us

Chairman Human Services

Vice Chair Ways and Means

Vice Chair Muskegon County Regional Water Policy Board

Chairman West Michigan Shoreline Regional Developmental Commission

                              

Disbursement of 1.5 Mills
based on 2014 Taxable Value by Township
TOWNSHIP	1.5 MILLS GENERATES	CITY	1.5 MILLS GENERATES
Blue Lake	$       100,000.00	Montague	$    134,000.00
Casnovia	$              99,000.00	Muskegon	$  889,100.00
Cedar Creek	$           100,000.00	Muskegon Heights	$ 167,000.00
Dalton	$             292,000.00	North Muskegon	$   209,500.00
Egelston	$       253,000.00	Norton Shores	$ 1,250.000.00
Fruitland	$      375,000.00	Roosevelt Park	$   155,000.00
Fruitport	$      627,000.00	Whitehall	$ 197,000.00
Holton	$        79,000.00
Laketon	$        321,000.00
Montague	$           78,000.00
Moorland	$      58,000.00
Muskegon	$    520,000.00
Ravenna	$    83,000.00
Sullivan	$           85,000.00
Whitehall	$      96,000.00
White River	$    140,000.00

Muskegon County Animal Control Officer Peterson an unsung Hero.

Officer Tiffany Peterson with a lost dog

We see the trucks go by and say there goes the "dog catcher", but that is not even close to the job these committed officers do.

Inside those trucks are dedicated animal loving individuals that sometimes care more for that furry little creature than the person that owns it does. Their job has more heart aches and tears than it does smiles. They many times are the last face a pet sees before it dies in road after being hit by a car, but they are also the one that rescues your pet before it gets hit on the day the gate didn't latch on your way to work or the kids forget to put Rover back inside before getting on the bus.

But I wanted to tell you about a special officer that I have seen several times have that special connection with the animals she works with. Tiffany Peterson is an Animal Control Officer with the Muskegon County Sheriff Department.

I have see up close and personal at an accident that I called in how a frightened animal responds to Officer Peterson even in the worst of circumstances. But recently she was able to go past the normal so called "dog catcher" job and reunite a family.

Over two and 1/2 years ago Zoe was dog dog-napped, taken from her loving home, the family was grief stricken but Zoe was never recovered. Recently after years of neglect Zoe, although now called something different, was finally taken to the vet because of her sad neglected condition, and a micro chip reveled that she was the long lost Zoe. Officer Peterson immediately responded to the call and rescued Zoe from the person that had taken her to the vet. (It was not determined if that person was in fact the person that took the dog or the person that ended up with the dog.)

Officer Peterson returned Zoe to her tearful, joyful family. Zoe was treated to an aloe/oatmeal bath, and put on a prescription from the vet to recover from the neglect.

 The family will be sending Officer Peterson pictures of Zoe in a  few weeks, they say "she will be shiny and pretty again in no time!"  Zoe's family said "...it was an unforgettable day, thank you to Office Peterson from the bottom of my heart. Our dogs are our family." 

Thank you to Officer Peterson for a job well done in reuniting this family, as a dog Mom, I agree with this happy family, dogs are are family too.

Commissioner Susie Hughes