IRON MOUNTAIN — A proposal is being studied to give Dickinson County representation on the Bay College Board of Trustees.

Nerita Hughes, college president, told Dickinson County Board on Monday that a legal review is taking place to determine how to proceed. “They would be a voting member,” she said, noting a non-voting liaison position will be pursued only if there’s no other option.

The community college founded in Escanaba in 1963 began receiving property tax support from Dickinson County in 2007 as a new Iron Mountain campus opened in the fall. The majority of Bay’s tax support, however, comes from Delta County, which levies a millage rate more than three times that of Dickinson.

The college is governed by a seven-member board elected for six-year terms by voters in Delta County. The Iron Mountain campus has a nine-member advisory board.

Hughes, who was hired as Bay’s sixth president in July, said she’s heard from Dickinson constituents that voting representation on the governing board is a high priority. There will be a discussion at a future meeting, based on an attorney’s input, she said.

Bay also wants to abandon the term “West Campus” for its Iron Mountain facility, referring instead to the Escanaba campus and Iron Mountain campus, Hughes said.

Dickinson County’s current Bay property tax levy of 0.9987 mills, or slightly less than $1 per $1,000 of taxable value, will be up for renewal in 2025. Delta County, historically, has levied about 3.3 mills for the college.

Commissioner John Degenaer Jr., who is on the Iron Mountain campus advisory board, said it’s important the college be viewed as a whole rather than “West” and “Escanaba.”

He suggested some Bay athletic events be in Dickinson County to further that goal.