IRON MOUNTAIN — Property tax rates in 2023 are the same as a year ago in Dickinson County municipalities, apart from slight reductions in the city of Kingsford and the Norway-Vulcan and North Dickinson County school districts.

There’s a savings of 40 cents per $1,000 taxable value in Kingsford, a reduction of 30 cents per $1,000 taxable value for Norway-Vulcan Area Schools and a dip of 9 cents per $1,000 of taxable value in the North Dickinson County School District.

Kingsford’s total tax rate for a resident homeowner is 40.2676 mills per $1,000 of taxable value, which is down 1% from a year ago, according to the 2023 Apportionment Report released in October by Dickinson County Equalization Director Matthew Baumgartner.

On a Kingsford home worth $100,000, with a taxable value of $50,000, the savings is $20 if the valuation stayed the same. The decline is due to a reduction in the city levy, which dropped from 21.2 mills to 20.8 mills.

The debt levy for Norway-Vulcan Schools, which includes the city of Norway as well as the townships of Norway and Waucedah, dipped from 3.7 mills to 3.4 mills this year. The North Dickinson County School District debt/extra voted levy covering Felch, Sagola, West Branch and Breen townships has slipped to 1.69 mills, down from 1.78 mills.

The debt levy for Iron Mountain Public Schools remains at 4 mills, while in the Breitung Township School District it remains at 0.8967 mills. Voters in both districts this year rejected proposed building projects that called for increases in those rates.

West Branch Township has the lowest property tax rate for resident homeowners in the county at 22.5045 mills, or $22.50 per $1,000 of taxable value. That rate is down 0.4% from a year ago,

Iron Mountain has the highest tax rate for a resident homeowner at 43.8069 mills, up less than a penny per $1,000 of taxable value from 2022. For a house in Iron Mountain worth $100,000, with a taxable value of $50,000, the total tax bill is $2,190, up less than 50 cents from 2022 provided there’s no adjustment in valuation.

The Michigan State Tax Commission inflation rate cap for valuations on properties in 2023 is 5%, and some homeowners have seen valuation increases up to that amount. It’s the maximum allowed and the first time it’s been reached since state voters adopted Proposal A in 1994.

On an Iron Mountain home with a taxable value of $50,000 in 2022 and potentially $52,500 in 2023, the 5% inflation factor would amount to a tax bill increase of up to $110. In Breitung Township, where the millage rate is $23.6676 per $1,000 of taxable value, the maximum inflationary tax increase on a similar home would be about $59.

When new construction and uncapped valuations are included, Dickinson County’s overall taxable value is up by 5.2% in 2023, Baumgartner reported.

Total 2023 tax rates for resident homeowners in each county municipality are:

— Breen Township, 26.3641 mills, down 0.09 mills, a decline of 0.3%.

— Breitung Township, 23.6676 mills, no change.

— Felch Township, 23.4044 mills, down 0.09 mills, a decline of 0.4%

— Norway Township, 26.2335 mills, down 0.3 mills, a decline of 1.1%

— Sagola Township, 24.3478 mills, down 0.09 mills, a decline of 0.4%.

— Waucedah Township, 26.2457 mills, down 0.296 mills, a decline of 1.1%

— West Branch Township, 22.5045 mills, down 0.09 mills, a decline of 0.4%.

— City of Iron Mountain, 43.8069 mills, up 0.0095 mills, an increase of 0.02%

— City of Kingsford, 40.2676 mills, down 0.4 mills, a decline of 1%

— City of Norway, 39.3651 mills, down 0.2964 mills, a decline of 0.7%

Resident homeowners in the annexed portion of Iron Mountain within the Breitung Township School District will pay 40.7036 mills, up less than 0.01 mills, an increase of 0.02%.

Taxes for city government break down as:

— Iron Mountain is levying 21.236 mills, an increase of 0.0095 mills, due to fractional increase in the voter-approved levy for a school liaison officer.

— Kingsford’s levy of 20.8 mills is a decline of 0.4 mills. The drop is due to a reduction of 0.2 mills in the police and fire pension levy, which is now 2 mills, and a dip in the public works facility millage from 1 mill to 0.8 mills.

— Norway’s city government levy is 17.3942 mills, reflecting an increase of 0.0036 mills in the extra-voted millage.

All county-wide levies are the same as a year ago. Those millages are: county operating, 6.1323 mills; state education tax, 6 mills; Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District, 2.6234 mills; Bay College, 0.9987 mills; library, 0.8988 mills; road commission, 0.4994 mills; health department, 0.4195 mills; senior citizen programs, 0.3995 mills; enhanced 911, 0.3995 mills; veterans services office, 0.0999 mills; and health care benefits assistance, 0.0999 mills.

Additional school taxes are levied for properties that do not qualify for Homestead exemptions. The non-Homestead school levies are: North Dickinson, 18 mills; Breitung Township, 18 mills; Norway-Vulcan, 17.8957 mills; and Iron Mountain, 17.937 mills.

In the city of Iron Mountain, properties in the Downtown Development Authority district pay an additional levy of 2 mills.