SAGINAW COUNTY
Public safety on ballet by Gabrielle Martin, Staff Reporter.
Citizens of the City of Saginaw will vote on whether to renew the public safety millage again. The current millage expires in 2015. The proposal for 7.5 mills will result in around $3 million in the first year to help fund the police and fire departments.
The millage was initially proposed and approved in 2006 for 6 mills; this was renewed in 2010 for 7.5 mills. The proposal was approved by an overpowering margin in 2010 – a ratio of over 4-to-1.
However, many officials aren’t sure the millage will pass so easily this time around. Reportedly, some residents were frustrated that after voting to increase the millage in 2010, the police force wasn’t increased but was actually cut down to a 55-person police force soon after.
According to city councilman Floyd Kloc, the city can make no promises of maintaining a police force at a certain number since the millage doesn’t pay for the entire police force – only around 40 percent. The rest is covered by the general budget.
If the millage is not passed, Kloc indicated there will almost surely be a cut in the city’s police and fire departments– possibly only leaving two out of the four fire stations open. For citizens, this could potentially result in higher fire insurance on their homes.
However, Saginaw County Sheriff William Federspiel says that the city does have options if the mileage isn’t passed; one option is to have a joint operation between the Sheriff and Police Department – a metropolitan style police force. The city will just have to take a closer look at their budget and consider the best way to serve the people of the city of Saginaw.
Voters mull marijuana by Marisa Loranger, Guest Columnist.
If you live in the city of Saginaw, you will get to vote on a proposal to decriminalize marijuana.
If this proposal passed, it doesn’t mean that you would be able to smoke marijuana recreationally in the city of Saginaw, it means that if Michigan passed a proposal for decriminalizing marijuana that Saginaw couldn’t make an amendment saying they don’t want marijuana legalized in the city.
A Saginaw City Council member, Annie Boensch explained “…the proposal wouldn’t affect the way the police handle marijuana possession because tickets are written under state law. Should the state legalize it in the future, possession of a small amount would already be legal per local ordinance. It would make it more difficult for a local government to ban it completely if they didn’t agree with the statewide legalization.”
This amendment will appear on City of Saginaw residents ballots titled as: Proposal to amend the city charter by adding a new section 24A entitled, “Marijuana”. If the state were to legalize it, Saginaw would make it so you must be 21 years old and you can only have an ounce of marijuana on you.
Saginaw County Sheriff William Federspiel says that if the proposal passes, several positive things will happen. People who smoke marijuana won’t be clogging Saginaw’s courts and jails. The taxpayers of Saginaw City spend $57.00 a day on inmates, so by not spending that money on marijuana users the money can go towards the things that the city needs. It will also give police officers time for “more important things” such as assaults and burglaries.
So unless the state of Michigan legalizes marijuana this law will just be preliminary. Pot shops will not start popping up in the city of Saginaw if this passes Nov. 4, but it will make it so that Saginaw city will have to abide by state laws if Michigan does decide to legalize marijuana.
BAY COUNTY
Tax would fund museum by Jacob Swiecicki, Staff Reporter.
Residents of Bay County will decide on Nov. 4 whether to approve the Historical Preservation Millage Renewal Proposal for the Bay County Historical Society.
The Historical Preservation Millage Renewal Proposal will “preserve Bay County’s unique history, educate citizens, conduct projects, operate and maintain a museum,” and will be levied for the next 20 years.
According to Ron Bloomfield, the Chief Historian and Director of Operations, the millage funds 80 percent of the operational budget for the city’s historic preservation efforts.
“That revenue allows us to keep the museum open six days a week and helps fund the River of Time,” stated Bloomfield, in reference to the living history encampment on the banks of the Saginaw River each September in Bay City.
Renewing the millage will cost 9.52 cents per every $1000 of taxable property value, raising an estimate of about $271,696 in the first year, costing every household approximately $5.
The tax provides the capital needed to provide a research library as well. The library, part of the historical museum at ADDRESS, contains historical housing and genealogical records. Residents of Bay County can discover their cultural roots.
Should the millage renewal fail, the Bay County Historical Society would essentially stop existing.
“It wouldn’t be pretty,” stated Bloomfield. “We’ve had almost 100 years of county support. We keep our history here . . . our goal is to preserve our history and promote education.”
Libraries seek renewal by Miranda Owen, Staff Reporter.
Bay County Library System employees and patrons have been urging voters to approve of a millage that provides funding to libraries in the community.
The millage, which is a renewal of the millage passed in 2010, will only cost 1 mil, which is the equivalent of $1 in tax for every $1,000 of property tax.
The millage is crucial for the sustaining the library, as it pays for staff wages, new materials (books, CDs, and movies), database subscriptions, children’s programs and classes. These services are important to children, who benefit from their literacy programs, as well as to older adults, who use the library to learn technology skills and to find jobs.
Library Director Tom Birch stated that “it’s getting tougher to find appreciation for libraries,” because many people believe that the internet lowers the demand for libraries; however, the opposite holds true, as 400,000 people visit a Bay County Library location each year.
Even though many people prefer to purchase their own books and use the internet within their own homes, Birch is well aware that not everyone is able to do so. “Just because I can afford to go out and buy a book whenever I want,” he said, “doesn’t mean my neighbor can.”
There are 61,000 people in Bay County that have library cards. Libraries, while often overlooked, have a significant impact on communities, and Birch, along with other library supporters, want voters to understand that.
MIDLAND COUNTY
Road money sought by Nick Davis, Guest Columnist.
A millage being voted on in Midland County is aimed at increasing the current county road millage amount from 1 mill to 2 mills which equates to about $2 per $1,000 of taxable value of all real and personal property.
The increase is requested for the purpose of constructing, maintaining, repairing, and improving highways, roads, streets, and bridges throughout Midland County.
This includes the city of Midland, city of Coleman, and the Village of Sanford, and the new millage is estimated to raise $3,365,160 in thte first year.
Maintaining infrastructure is an important part of any county’s budget, and aids in the general safety of the public, prevents accidents, and saves on automobile repair costs.
Tax targets moths by Nick Davis, Guest Columnist.
One millage is to decide whether to continue the Midland County Gypsy Moth Suppression Program. The Midland County Gypsy Moth Suppression Program began in 1986 in response to the defoliation of nearly one third of the county’s forest cover due to the invasive species.
According to Program Director Neal Swanson, the invasion is so widespread that eliminating them is “an impossible task.” That is why the suppression program is needed. The program’s goal is suppression of the number of larvae to acceptable levels in populated areas, and gypsy moth levels have been kept very low for most of the county over the last ten years.
The suppression program uses aerial spraying of B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis) or other natural products to control the larvae. Swanson says that “over 400,000 acres” in Midland have received treatment to reduce infestation, and ultimately destruction.
Management of the program is contracted to Aquatic Consulting Services LLC located in the city of Sanford, in Midland County. According to their website “a normal healthy tree can withstand one season of defoliation, but a second season is very hard on the trees, and many are then lost.”
This year the millage that funds the program is up for renewal. The current millage levy is 0.30 mill or 30 cents per $1000 of taxable valuation for the years 2015 to 2018, and is expected to raise $1,093,548 in its first year. The millage is only collected as needed, and the full amount of the allowable millage has only been collected in ten of the twenty seven years of the programs operation.
Gypsy Moths are considered defoliators, meaning that they eat nearly all the leaves from an infested tree. Their trees of choice are oak, aspen, birch, apple, white pine and spruce trees meaning they pose a significant problem to Midland County because a majority of the county’s trees fall into this group.
