Election Results In the Great Lakes Bay Region and Thumb

Bay County

Voters in Bay City and Beaver Township saw proposals on Tuesday’s ballot. One of them, a proposal to renew the Bay City Public Schools Sinking Fund assessment of .6472 mills was passed by a margin of 8,809 yes to 4,589 no. In Beaver Township, voters approved a proposal to renew a millage to maintain and improve public roads by 415 – 261. The assessment’s limit was previously increased to 2 mills, and the renewal will see that limit continue through 2030. Voters also would have decided a proposal to renew and increase the township’s fire millage of 1.5 mills for 8 years. However, due to an issue with the ballot language, the proposal was removed. Township officials say the proposal was inconsistent with applicable election law and to avoid questions about the legitimacy of the ballot question if approved, the decision was made to delay the question. The fire millage increase will instead appear on the August 6 primary election ballot.

Huron County

Voters in Huron County supported a number of proposals in the election, which included road millages in Brookfield and Fairhaven townships. Brookfield Township also had a fire millage that passed 109 yes to 44 no, as well as an operating purpose millage proposal, passing 80 yes to 73 no. Fairhaven Township also proposed a library millage, which passed 143 to 62. A Church School Operating Millage renewal was also accepted.

Isabella County

In Isabella County, a county wide General Operating millage was put forth to voters. The millage proposed a 2.5 mill general operating levy increase for six years in order to ensure the continuation of current county services, according to county officials. The proposal was soundly rejected with 3,668 yes to 10,286 no votes. Another proposal for a Community Aquatic Center Bond in Mt. Pleasant was also rejected, although by a smaller margin of 3,195 – 4,191. The proposal asked for $25 million to build a recreational aquatic center. Lastly, in Rollin Township, voters rejected a Road Improvement and Bond Proposition by a margin of 132 yes to 28 no.

Midland County

Voters around Midland County had a couple of ballot questions. In Midland Township, voters approved a proposal, 1,1186 – 984, to allow the Bullock Creek School District to borrow nearly $22.8 million to issue tax bonds for various improvements and purchases. The proposal levies a .55 mill assessment for the bonds. In Geneva Township, a four-year renewal of the fire millage that would see it increased from 1 mill to 2 passed 140 yes to 110 no. The revenue from the township’s fire millage is distributed to the Coleman Area Fire Board, which Geneva Township participates in.

Saginaw County

Voters in Saginaw County were mostly in favor of public safety proposals. In the city of Saginaw, a 5-year renewal of the 7.5 mill Police and Fire Services Special Assessment was approved by a margin of 2,882 yes to 1,356. In Maple Grove Township, a property assessment of $200 to provide ambulance services was approved 478-359 by voters, and a proposal to make the township a special assessment district for fire protection, at a cost of $185 dollars per parcel, was turned down. Tittabawassee Township voters approved a 1 mill tax for the next 10 years for fire vehicles and equipment with 1,335 yes and 1,137 no votes. Another proposal to renew the existing public safety millage and authorize a roughly 31 percent increase was approved by a margin of 1,314 – 1,156.

Voters were mixed on three school district millage renewals on the ballot. In Saginaw Township, a proposal to raise the assessment from 18 mills to the limit of roughly 20 mills over the next 11 years passed by a margin of 5,882 – 3,486. The Hemlock Public Schools proposal to renew and increase the operating millage by .25 mills over the next 10 years was denied by voters with 1,102 yes to 1,198 no. A 4-year renewal of the Swan Valley School District’s 18 mill tax assessment passed 1,411 – 863. And the Freeland Community School District Sinking Fund Millage renewal was approved with 1,717 yes to 1,499 no.

Tuscola County

Residents of Caro in Tuscola County were not ready to allow more people to grow marijuana, rejecting a citizen led proposal to increase the number of Class C grower licenses from two to thirty, and increase marijuana processor licenses from two to eight, as well as introduce two excess marijuana licenses. The results were 310 yes to 559 no. In other elections in the county, Road proposals in Akron, Kingston and Wells townships all passed, though similar proposals in Novesta Township and Mayville were defeated. Voters in the Cass City Public School District approved an Operating Millage by a margin of 794 yes to 510 no, though a Kingston Schools Bond proposal was reject by 393 yes to 462 no, as was the Vassar Public Schools Bond proposal by 712 yes to 1,058 no. The Vassar Schools Operating Millage was also defeated by 779 yes votes to 977 no.