OTTAWA COUNTY, MI – Voters in Spring Lake will be asked Tuesday, Nov. 2 to allow the school district to continue levying an 18 mill non-homestead property tax for the purpose of funding operations.
The tax is not levied on primary residences. Only non-homestead properties such as second homes, businesses, commercial and rental property would pay the 18 mills the district is requesting for operating millage for two years, 2021 and 2022.
If the operating millage proposal is approved, Spring Lake Public Schools would collect approximately $3,282,000 for the current school year to support the annual operational budget, according to the district website.
The district uses those funds for day-to-day school operations including classroom supplies, textbooks, equipment, utilities, transportation and staff among other needs.
The funding helps Spring Lake keep its class sizes small, particularly at the elementary level, said Superintendent Dennis Furton. It also helps the district offer more robust programming at the high school, he said.
“Right now, we have a full and very robust program,” Furton said. “If we were to lose this funding, particularly over a two-year period of time, it would put us in a position where we would have to look at some of our elective offerings at the secondary level and ask whether or not we could continue those.”
Michigan schools rely on local non-homestead operating millage to be able to collect their student foundational allowance from the state, Furton explained.
By state law, school districts cannot levy more than the 18 mills ($18.00 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) on non-homestead properties that is required for total state aide. Spring Lake’s foundation allowance is $8,700 per student. The proposal would counteract any millage reduction from a Headlee rollback.
“The funding is only guaranteed if our voters approve the full 18 mills,” Furton said. “The state assumes that every district in the state of Michigan will collect their full 18 mills locally, and doesn’t make up the difference.”
“If we don’t have a successful vote on this particular village, the district stands to lose a substantial amount of state guaranteed funding.”
There are two other school tax proposals on the Nov. 2 Ottawa County ballot for two communities. There are 552 voters in Chester Township eligible to vote on Muskegon’s Ravenna Public Schools $5.3 million bond. Hamilton Community Schools in Allegan has 387 voters in Holland eligible to vote on its $21.6 million bond.
Elementary school upgrades new focus of Ravenna’s $5.3M bond proposal after previous failed attempt
More on MLive:
Prayer vigil set to support West Michigan family kidnapped in Haiti