By Dan Shriner
Review Editor
Orion area voters overwhelmingly passed two measures on November 4 that officials said were critical in continuing programs deemed vital for residents.
Voters approved a Lake Orion Schools? request for a 20.25 mill operating millage renewal to be placed on all non-homestead property including commercial and industrial properties and some agricultural properties, and second homes. The measure passed with 59.9 percent approval, garnering 8,931 yes votes.
Primary residences would be exempt from the ten-year tax, which begins on July 1, 2015.
The millage will garner about $7.2 million annually for operating purposes.
The non-homestead operational millage provides about 75 percent of state funding to Lake Orion, and if not passed would have devastated the annual operational budget.
‘On behalf of all our teachers and staff, I want to express my gratitude to Lake Orion voters for renewing our non-homestead operating tax levy for another ten years, said superintendent Marion Ginopolis. ‘The levy is critical to the funding of our school district and helps us provide a variety of unique programs and educational opportunities to our students at all grade levels.?
Voters also said yes to an Orion township proposal to fund equipment purchases. The fire capital and equipment millage sought .6 mills for five years, to begin in December of this year.
The .6 mill would cost a homeowner $90 per year for a house worth $150,000 in taxable value, or $300,000 altogether. The measure passed with a 54.7 percent margin. There were 6,810 yes votes.
The .6 mill request was a 40 percent cost reduction from the initial defeated proposal on the Aug. 5 ballot. The township board revised the request and came back to voters, who approved the slimmed-down version. The millage will approximately $4.1 million to be spent on updating and purchasing new equipment.
Funds would be used to finish construction of Station #2 currently underway, purchase an aerial platform fire truck, replace vehicles, purchase an ambulance, and, most important to Fire Chief Bob Smith, purchase new turn-out gear for his fire fighters, among buying other much needed emergency equipment.
Supervisor Chris Barnett said officials were very pleased with the voter support.
‘We are very grateful that our residents supported our request for the fire millage, which passed by a fairly large margin,? he said. ‘Some people were disappointed that we put it back on the ballot even after it failed in August, but it wasn’t the same proposal. We took out the station 1 construction, which was $2 million, so we were just asking for the real essentials.
‘Not only will we have our 12 new full time firefighters starting Jan. 1 to help us be staffed 24/7/365, but we will also be able to get them the proper and needed safety equipment.?
‘The first thing we are going to do is purchase the turnout gear. We don’t get all the money at once. We will have to phase our purchases. The first and most important thing is the gear that the guys wear.
‘We still have the need for an aerial truck and other equipment, but those will be phased in. We are able to finish and pay for station 2 which we will be occupying before the end of the year.?
The new millage will be on peoples? winter tax bill in December. Money will start coming in when the bills are due in February. It will generate about $800,000 a year for five years.
Chief Smith, likewise was pleased.
‘It passed decisively. It’s a very good feeling that the public has enough trust in us to give us some money to make sure our people are safe and that we have good equipment to do so. I’m very appreciative of the public to do this for us. Now we can feel safe when we account for our emergency situations,? he said.
In Village of Lake Orion elections, there were six candidates vying for five positions. Those elected were: Douglas Hobbs, with 493 votes; John Ranville, with 442 votes, Shauna Brown, 468 votes, Christian Mills with 442 votes.
Bradley Mathisen, who was appointed to the council Oct. 2013, is ran unopposed for a partial term on the board, which will expire in Nov. 2016. He was elected with 97.9 percent of the vote.
Election results can still be viewed at oakgov.com