School Districts Looking to Upgrade (MI)
August 2, 2010
The Avondale School District in Oakland County is the only metro Detroit district asking voters to pass a bond issue during Tuesday’s primary election, extending the existing bond, but not raising taxes.
But s everal other districts are asking voters to renew or extend millages, including Fitzgerald, South Lake and Lakeview school districts in Macomb County, Farmington Public Schools in Oakland and Grosse Ile and Trenton school districts in Wayne County. None of these renewal millages would raise taxes.
Avondale is asking voters to approve a $27.8-million extension of its current millage to 2031. The bond proposal will not raise the amount of the millage from the current 7 mills, or about $700 a year on a $200,000 house.
The money will be used for additions, remodeling and furnishings at schools, energy conservation upgrades, infrastructure for technology and improvements to the athletic facilities.
"There is something in this for every school," said Superintendent George Heitsch. "It’s designed not to raise taxes but to keep the tax levy at the current level. But it does extend the debt by about six years, from 2025 until 2031."
Sue Delpup, parent of a 16-year-old Avondale High School junior, is in favor of the bond proposal.
"We’re basically a young district compared to a lot of districts around us," said Delpup of Troy. The district didn’t have a lot of businesses to help support the tax structure until the 1980s, she said. The bond will catch the district’s buildings and equipment up to neighboring, older districts, she said.
Other millage extensions on Tuesday’s ballot include several so-called hold-harmless millage renewals. These millages are for districts already taxing themselves more than the state would provide when Proposal A was passed in 1994, and are designed to prevent a large drop in school funding. It applies to homestead property, including principal resid ences.
• Fitzgerald Public Schools is asking voters to renew the 18-mill tax on non-homestead property. It would not affect principal residences.
• Lakeview Public Schools wants the OK to renew the 18-mill tax on non-homestead property, which would not affect principal residences.
• South Lake Schools wants voters to approve 0.1684 mills on non-homestead property. The district also is asking voters to renew 1.4246 mills on homestead property. It would cost the owners of a $200,000 home $142.46 per year.
• Farmington Public Schools is asking voters to renew the 18-mill tax on non-homestead property. The district also is asking voters to renew a 13.5735-mill hold-harmless tax on homestead property. The hold-harmless renewal would cost the owner of a $200,000 home $1,357.35 per year.
• Grosse Ile Township Schools is asking voters to renew the 18-mill tax on non-homestead property. The district also is asking for a renewal of the 3.5328 hold harmless millage, which would cost the owner of a $200,000 house about $353.28 per year. However, the district has been collecting only 1.6 mills of their hold harmless tax, and does not expect to collect more than 1.6 mills in the future, which would cost the owner of a $200,000 house about $160 per year.
Grosse Ile also is asking voters to renew a 1-mill tax for its sinking fund, which pays for construction and repairs to school property. The tax would cost the owner of a $200,000 house about $100 per year.
• Trenton Public Schools is asking voters to renew their hold harmless millage of 4.9 mills. The tax costs the owner of a $200,000 house about $490 per year.