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MARQUETTE -- The midterm elections are on Tuesday and along with races for congress, the senate and county officials, several millage votes will be present.
Two of those millage votes will be county-wide. The Marquette County Veterans Affairs millage proposal lets voters decide whether Marquette County will levy a millage of 0.05 mill ($0.05 per $1,000 of taxable value) for the years 2027 through 2035 for the purpose of improving and expanding services for veterans, including outreach, access to benefits and healthcare, support for veterans facing mental health challenges, rural service delivery, transportation coordination and countywide services provided by the Marquette County Department of Veterans Affairs.
The current millage rate for the VA in Marquette County is 0.1 mills, so this vote would increase it to 0.15 mills -- about $15 a year for homes with a taxable value of $100,000.
“Over the past several years, the workload in our department has increased significantly,” said Diana Dost, county veteran service officer and director at the Marquette County Veteran Services Office in Ishpeming, in a comment at a May meeting of the Marquette County Board of Commissioners.
“PACT Act toxic exposure claims, complex appeals and expanded federal evidence requirements have all contributed to a higher volume and greater complexity of work. Even as the total veteran population declines, the number of veterans who need assistance and the intensity of that assistance continues to rise.”
At that same meeting, Dost also discussed how the VA's millage had been reduced over the years due to the Headlee Amendment, a Michigan constitutional amendment passed in the 70s containing a provision in which millage rates are automatically lowered when property value rises faster than the rate of inflation.
“That reduction, combined with increased service demand, has increased a structural gap between what veterans need and what our current funding can support,” said Dost. “Even if the original .1 mill had never been reduced, it would not generate enough revenue over the next eight years to substantiate staffing, outreach, technology, modernization and the level of service required to meet the federal expectation and local needs.”
The other county-wide millage is for the Marquette County Transportation Authority, which is seeking to provide local funds for the continuing operations and capital purchases on all properties within the county using a 0.6 mill millage, of which .5887 mill is a renewal of the previously authorized millage and 0.0113 mill is a new additional millage, for 2027 through 2032.
Marq-Trans' millage has been in place since 2004 and a millage of varying amounts has been in place since 1994.
Some ballots may have several other millage votes on them, depending on where the voter lives.
Forsyth Township has three additional millages on their ballots. One of those millages is to renew their existing library services millage of 0.4947 mills for an additional 7 years. Another is to renew their existing police services millage of 0.9965 mills for an additional 7 years, and the final one is a renewal of the township's general operating millage of 4.8751 mills for an additional 7 years.
Humboldt Township voters will see four additional millage votes on their ballots. One of those millages is a fire protection millage, which would be 1.0 mills for 4 years for the purpose of providing fire protection services. Another is a sanitation millage of 1.0 mills for 3 years for the purpose of providing sanitation services. There is also an emergency services millage of 0.25 mills for 4 years for the purpose of providing emergency services, and a Humboldt Township general operating millage. That millage vote, which was set at 3.0 mills and reduced to 2.9766 mills by the millage rollbacks required by the Headlee Amendment, would increase the millage to once again be 3.0 mills for 4 years.
Finally, Marquette Township has one additional millage up for vote this Tuesday, which would increase the emergency services millage in an amount not to exceed 1.0 mill for 1 year for the purpose of funding additional dedicated staffing for EMA continuous coverage 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Early voting is available until Aug. 2. Voting day is Aug. 4. Information on polling locations can be found at https://www.co.marquette.mi.us/departments/county_clerk/where_to_vote.php.
Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.