Transit, roads, library millage on ballot
The renewal and restoration of millage to fund the Clare County Transit operations, millage to fund road improvements in Arthur and Winterfield Townships and a proposal to raise new funds for the Harrison District Library will all be on the Primary ballot August 3.
Voters are asked to approve the five-year CCTC millage renewal of .2953 of one mill, and restore .0047 mills to return the total millage levied to .3 mills, which was originally approved by County voters in the 1980s. The transit service was incorporated in 1981 and began operations in 1983. Approval of the millage will raise an estimated $312,068.00 the first year
The CCTC operates on approximately $1.2 million annually, according to CCTC Director Tom Pernstill. It is funded by state and federal subsidies, the local millage and fares.
The facility employs 15 regular drivers, 20 to 25 substitute drivers, four dispatchers, two full-time maintenance people, one part-time maintenance person, Administrative Assistant Sandra Patch, operations Manager Bill McDaniel and Pirnstill.
Clare County Transit offers rides to everyone and was developed primarily to serve the elderly and handicapped persons. Wheel chair lifts are available and rides anywhere in the county.
The transportation millage renewal proposal ballot and proposed millage for the library each include wording that explains that “a portion of the millage may also be disbursed to the Downtown Development Authorities of the Cities of Clare and Harrison; the Local Development Finance Authority of the Village of Farwell; and the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority of the Cities of Clare and Harrison.”
Pernstill said he is worried that voters won’t understand that the portion of taxes captured for the DDAs, LDFA and Brownfield RAs is “very small.”
The “captured” millage comes only from taxes collected from the increase in assessments from improvements on properties that are located in the Brownfield, DDA and LDFA districts, and is only a very small percentage of the totals collected. The captured taxes are not levied on the base tax values of the properties in the districts when the districts were created. Pirnstill estimated that the amount earmarked for other uses would be one percent or less of the total taxes collected.
“This has always been taken out of each millage approved,” Pirnstill said, “but this is the first time that the verbiage has been on the ballot proposals. It is not included on special assessments,” he added.
Another concern is that voters may think that the recent construction of a new 3.7 million facility will be financed with millage money. “The new CCTC facility was funded with $2.54 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment (stimulus) funds and $1.1 million in Federal Earmark funds (federal project money with a State match). “No local or millage money will be used to pay for the new facility,” Pirnstill said earlier.
The Harrison District Library Millage proposition asks voters in the library district – which includes Greenwood and Hayes Townships and the City of Harrison – to approve a “new, additional tax” of .95 mills for ten years to fund the Library. If approved, the millage will raise an estimated $194,732.00 in the first year it is levied.
Two proposals are on the Primary ballot for road improvements.
The first, in Arthur Township asks voters to approve a restoration of previously voted millage to 2 mills for four years, “to make necessary improvements, bringing and construction of primary and local roads and bridges.”
Winterfield Township’s proposal is a renewal of 2 mills for road improvement for an additional four years. It will raise an estimated $88,635.00 the first year.
