Voters in the Brandon School District will be presented with a millage renewal proposal on the November ballot.
The school board unanimously approved ballot language for an operating millage renewal proposal during their July 16 meeting. The proposal will allow the school district to levy 17.9496 mills on all property except principal residence and other property exempted by law, required for the district to receive its revenue per pupil foundation allowance.
The proposal renews a millage that will expire with the 2012 tax levy. Since 1995, the state has allowed the district to levy up to 18 mills on non-homesteads’essentially businesses or secondary residences in the community. The millage was put in place for districts as part of Proposal A, the Headlee Amendment. The district currently levies about 17.9 mills on non-homesteads, which represents about $1,678,307 in funding annually, said Superintendent Lorrie McMahon.
‘By law, we can request 18 mills, but we have decided not to, because the difference is only $5,000,? said McMahon.
Passage of the millage is crucial, she added.
The approved ballot language will read:
‘Shall the currently authorized millage rate limitation of 17.9496 mills ($17.9496 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law, in Brandon School District in the counties of Oakland and Lapeer, Michigan, be renewed for a period of 6 years, 2013 to 2018, inclusive, to provide funds for operating purposes; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2012 is approximately $1,600,000 (this is a renewal of millage which will expire with the 2012 tax levy)??
McMahon and the school board hope the answer is yes.
‘It’s a necessity that the constituents vote on it and it’s a necessity that it passes,? McMahon said.