The operating millage renewal there failed last night by just 9 votes.
The general operating millage that funds a bunch of services in Benzie County has been decreasing in the last few decades, thanks to a state law called the “Headlee Amendment.”
It requires the millage rate to be automatically reduced when property values rise faster than inflation. And in Benzie County, officials say that’s happened almost every year.
County officials have said failure of the measure would mean a rollback in services, from road patrols by the sheriff’s department to animal control and 911 dispatch services.
Benzie was asking voters to consolidate a handful of millages into one millage. Officials said it would have meant about $80 dollars more per year in property taxes on a $200,000 home.
Fife Lake remains a village
Residents of the small community of about 450 people were deciding whether to disband their village as a legal entity. Had they done so, it would have been a Michigan first.
But they did not do so.
Unofficial results show 178 ballots cast in the race, with 93 voters (52%) deciding to keep the village and 85 (48%) in favor of disbanding. Under state law, they needed a two-thirds majority of ballots to approve the measure.
School millages
Buckley, Manton and Kingsley school district voters all approved operating millages by substantial margins. The narrowest was in Kingsley, where 56% of voters said yes.
We will continue updating this story.
