with their father, Rich Fritzler, on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Hoyt Park.
(Crystal Gwizdala/Managing Editor)
By Michael Piwowarski and Kelvin Butler
SAGINAW – On Tuesday, March 10, residents of Saginaw, Bay and Midland counties will get the chance to vote in the presidential primary, either on the competitive Democratic side or the quiet Republican ticket.
In Saginaw County, there will also be three county-wide millage renewal proposals on the ballot.
A millage, or mill, is a tax rate that is used to calculate property taxes; the rate is applied to every $1,000 of a homeowner’s property value. Homeowners will have that additional tax burden for each millage that passes.
Parks and Recreation seeks to stay open to the community
Hoyt Park has a tradition of hosting winter skating dating back to the 1920s, which was put on hiatus in the early 2000s due to a lack of funding.
“There are so many memories that were created here years ago,” says Bridget Staffileno, Saginaw resident. “I am a lifelong resident of Saginaw and I personally have so many memories out here. It’s a way to get kids out here with their families or caregivers and create memories.”
Ice skating was brought back by Friends of Hoyt Park in the 2010s with the renovation of the ice skating rink and warming house facility. However, without funding from Saginaw County Parks and Recreation, that tradition may have to be put on hold again.
“We’re going to be in rough shape [if the millage doesn’t pass],” says Staffileno. “The reason why we have it is to create a great place for people to live, work and play. And if we don’t have the support of our county parks, which increases […] that happiness, that quality of life, we’re in big trouble.”
Saginaw County Parks is asking for a renewal of their existing millage, which is a levy of 0.2942 mill ($0.29 per $1,000 according to ballot language) from 2021 to 2026, for continued park maintenance and the funding of local events and activities.
Brian Lechel, director of Parks and Recreation, says that the millage funding will generate $1.4 million per year. Without millage funding, Lechel says, the department will have to move toward a revenue-based funding system.
“Gate fees would be one way to generate some of that revenue,” says Lechel. “We would need to look at other grant support [and] other funding opportunities.”
Residents are concerned that Saginaw County’s public parks will be worse off without millage funding, which helps provide staff to maintain the parks and keep them open to the public.
“Saginaw County Parks does so much for this community; I really hope people come out and support that,” says Jeanne Conger, director of Positive Results Downtown Saginaw. “They keep all the parks open free for the people and they keep them clean and nice and we really hope people will support that effort.”
In addition, the millage funding allows Saginaw County Parks to sponsor other community events, like the ice skating at Hoyt Park.
“What’s really great about this is, each week, […] there’s something kind of fun going on with Bringing Back the Ice,” says Staffileno. “We’ve had […] their outhouse races coming up in a couple weeks. We have Saginaw Valley State University’s hockey club out there teaching kids some skills.”
Currently, the parks operated by Saginaw County Parks and Recreation – Imerman Memorial, Price Nature Center, Ringwood Forest, Saginaw Valley Rail Trail, William H. Haithco Recreation Area and Veterans Memorial – do not charge gate fees because they are millage funded.
Lechel says that 2015 was the last year they charged gate fees. The summer of 2019, with gate fees having since been waived, saw a 329% increase in vehicular traffic and 340% more patrons compared to the summer of 2015.
“We see that as really encouraging,” says Lechel. “We recognize gate fees as a deterrent.”
Dow Event Center doubles down to reduce operating costs
The proposal for the Dow Event Center is to raise their millage from 0.225 to 0.45 mill ($0.45 per $1,000 according to ballot language) for the next decade, as they had in 2000. The extra money will help fix major issues with the building such as the roof and parking lot, thus providing a better environment for the attendees and performers.
Right now, they have a deficit for operating the building; the expenses are higher than the revenue and they’re losing money. With the updated facilities, people will be more likely to return, especially to see events such as the Saginaw Spirit hockey games. Having a strong team full of young and talented prospects, they made a deep playoff run last year in the Ontario Hockey League.
“A lot of those people come from outside the area, outside the county,” says Jon Block, worker at the Dow Event Center. “So when they come to an event here, they’re paying for gas in this area. They’re shopping in this area. They’re staying at hotels in this area. They’re eating at restaurants in this area. So it’s bringing money […] into this region that wouldn’t normally be here without this event center.”
In the early 2000s, the Dow Event Center built the glass dome we now enter through. If they secure this new millage, they will have more money to enhance the building and possibly even more places in Saginaw.
If you are a homeowner, your property tax will go up if this millage passes.
MSU provides ‘extension’ for Saginaw community
The Michigan State University (MSU) Extension millage increase, up to 0.10 mill ($0.10 per $1,000 according to ballot language), will provide funding for educational programs including 4-H youth development, Master Gardener, urban agriculture, agriculture/agribusiness, health and nutrition, natural resources and veteran services, as detailed in the ballot proposal.
“When I talk to people, I find that a lot of people really don’t understand what MSU Extension is and/or what our mission is,” says Mark Rankin, director of the MSU Extension Saginaw district. “They don’t realize; what impact does MSU have?”
Rankin points toward MSU Extension’s mission to help people in local communities to improve their lives through “an educational process that applies knowledge to critical issues, needs and opportunities.”
“A lot of people that we work with are people that have a need, and we are fulfilling educational services based on the needs that those people have,” says Rankin.
MSU Extension’s presence in Saginaw County dates back to 1913. Rankin states that over the years, they have been funded through county, state and federal governments. However, with the 2008 recession rearing its ugly head, that government funding got reduced.
“They had a lot of issues,” says Rankin, “and so they said that they can no longer continue to fund us through their general fund and wanted us to go on a millage to maintain the current programs that we have and/or to enhance some of the programs that we can offer to the county residents.”
If this millage does not pass, Rankin says that he will have to go back to the Saginaw County board of commissioners and discuss what level of support that they would be willing to provide for MSU Extension.
