Support Brandon bond
Dear Editor,
We are writing this letter in support for the 2021 Brandon School District Bond Proposal.
We’ve been involved in the community since 1990 and have lived in the community since 1995. Our 2 children grew up in the Brandon School district.
The Fire Department, Police Department and School System are important facets as a support system to maintain the structure within the community.
We feel that the School Board and Administrators have done a great job with their due diligence in taking advantage of low interest rates to refinance and reinvest in the community without increasing our property taxes.
The proposed bond will be essential to improving technology for the students, teachers and faculty as well as many necessary property upgrades and maintenance items.
We believe that your community is what you put into it and that we should continue to reinvest in our school system. It is essential to provide the latest technology, adequate infrastructure and new security measures for our students and staff – now and in the future.
As parents, we support the Bond Proposal and we encourage all parents, future parents, grandparents, extended family members and friends within the district to vote in support of the Bond Proposal on Nov. 2
Mike & Marcy Riddle
Yes on bond
Dear Editor,
I wanted to write and encourage my friends and neighbors to vote YES on the 2021 Brandon Bond.
I am the parent of three Brandon students, one each in elementary, middle and high school. We’ve had such positive experiences benefitting from the smaller class sizes, family atmosphere and a stellar teaching staff. Our community always looks out for each other, especially in times of illness, tragedy or grief. It’s a blessing!
State law mandates that school districts pursue bonds for major building/facility projects and repairs. This means that it is up to us, the local community, to care for our public properties. As homeowners, my husband and I are prideful in maintaining our home and that pride extends to our public buildings (schools, government offices, the library, senior center, etc).
The Brandon School District has a zero mill-increase bond initiative is on the ballot this Fall. This means that when you vote yes, your tax rate will not go up! You can vote yes RIGHT NOW via absentee ballot or in-person on Tuesday, November 2nd.
If passed, the district will have much-needed funds to improve buildings & facilities, stay current on technology and bolster safety. It will address core infrastructure & equipment that have outlived their life cycles. This includes one of the top-of-the-list projects: the Harvey Swanson playground. Even though my kids don’t attend HSE I am particularly thrilled that my YES vote will bring such a needed improvement to so many kids.
My children are in the middle and nearing the end of their K-12 school careers. It’s heartwarming to realize that one day my future grandchildren could be using the facilities that my “yes” vote helped to supply.
I am so grateful for the tremendous lengths to which our district went to offer in-person and virtual learning during some very troubling times. Let’s support the district and continue our tradition of great schools in our great community!
Andrea Austin
(In response to, “Village fund balance higher,” The Citizen, Oct. 8, page 4)
Fix roads, drains
Dear Editor,
I find it frustrating for the Ortonville village council to boast of an increasing fund balance that keeps growing.
Maybe our taxes should go down if they do not need the money to take care of the village. Of course not, the money IS needed!.
Roads are crumbling before our eyes. The Mill Street repaving project was approved and ready to go. Why did the village manger and council shelve this project? The park in town continues to flood, The DPW has been working very hard to dewater this park with pumps days before, during and after Septemberfest. The flooding is damaging home values around this park and It threatens the home and businesses it borders. This drain project was approved and ready to go, why did council again shelve this project?

Now council may say they are waiting for free money in the form of grants from our government. I ask the readers, does the tax money you pay the village to manage our village come free? Hell no, we work hard for our money. So going back to the increasing fund balance, why is council so proud of it? Fix the damn roads, fix the damn drains, maintain our village or give the money back. Our roads and flooded parks are an embarrassment.
Our village council and manager may be new, some are not, we need to remind each of them that they work for every single village taxpayer. Council, please do not ignore the constant flooding and crumbling roads. Dan Eschmann
Vote no on bond
Dear Editor:
The Brandon Community has been very generous in supporting Brandon Schools. We have funded the building of a middle school, elementary school, pool, major technology updates, athletic complexes, updates to all the existing buildings and busses. The message of the current “zero mill” campaign implies there will be no tax increase but extension of the bond until 2040 results in a tax increase.
The proposed list of expenditures for the “no mill” extension is maintenance and repairs that should be budgeted and saved for annually. Brandon Schools has experienced a 15-year enrollment decline. Two buildings have been sold resulting in only four buildings to operate and maintain. Has spending been contained appropriately to reflect these reductions? Brandon Schools projected fund equity (savings) is $4,195,135. Why not use some of this money rather than extending the 12 mills paid by taxpayers? In the October 2, 2021 edition of The Citizen, a school board member wrote in his letter “this will expect to carry the district with the needed repairs and updates to 2029”. The debt is being extended to 2040.
This proposal is the only item on the ballot so Brandon Schools is required to reimburse the townships for running this election. These costs would not be incurred if this proposal were placed on the November 2022 gubernatorial ballot. A NO vote is NOT a vote against the students or Brandon Schools. A NO vote is a vote for more responsible management of tax dollars. Beth Nuccio
No unemployment benefits
Dear Editor
It seems like everyday there’s a news story on businesses that are unable to hire enough people to operate. And we see “Now Hiring” signs everywhere, not just in some pockets, neighborhoods or towns, but everywhere. These involve “staffing shortages” for jobs that require no special skills or experience.
Per the Unemployment Insurance Agency section of Governor Whitmer’s Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity: “To be eligible for unemployment benefits, you must be unemployed and able, available for, and actively seeking suitable full-time work.”
Since Unemployment Benefits are supposedly premised on each recipient making an honest and earnest effort to seek, accept and maintain employment, it’s obvious there is widespread, if not universal, noncompliance with that requirement.
Whoever is the director of Unemployment Benefits should take judicial notice of what’s going on in this State, and immediately announce that starting Monday there will be no more unemployment benefits paid to anybody, at all, anywhere in Michigan. Frank Porretta, Ortonville
Yes on bond
Dear Editor,
We have been residents of Groveland Township since 2008, we moved here from Troy, Michigan. My wife and I are proud parents of two children who currently attend Brandon HS.
In addition to our kids, my wife has done many hours as a volunteer parent at Harvey Swanson and I enjoy being able to coach many children within the district. Placing our kids into the Brandon School District has been one of the best and proudest decisions we have made as parents. From an athletic standpoint we have some of the finest facilities, however those facilities do need upkeep!
Aside from the high school, our local field and auxiliary track used by several hundred of kids is in need of major repairs. Our middle school sports facilities could also use a lot of TLC as well. Over the years I have heard many negative comments about “ waste of money” when our facilities were built. All things need upkeep, from our houses, to the vehicles we drive.
Without funding from this bond to make the much needed improvements these facilities would turn into a waste for our children! As stated earlier placing our children into Brandon Schools has been an incredible experience for our family. Brandon has been the best decisions we as a family have ever made. We want to express our YES for the ZERO MILL school district bond that will be on the November 2nd ballot.
I know funding will be spread out for the many improvements across all schools in the district, not just athletics.
We have seen time and time again this community come together to support a variety of needs. I truly can’t think of a better cause than voting yes for the future of the children! Sincerely,Jay and Stephanie Reynolds
Zero mill increase bond
Dear Editor,
I am writing in support for the upcoming Brandon School District Bond Proposal. Having been a Brandon Township resident my entire life I have come to know the importance of community support especially when it comes to our children.
I have walked the halls of every building in our district as a student, a parent of a 2016 graduate and as a volunteer. No matter how much time has passed the idea that children deserve to learn and grow in a safe and up to date environment has never wavered. In todays ever changing society it is pivotal that we help provide security, the technological infrastructure they need to succeed academically and updated training facilities so the can soar on and off the fields.
This is a ZERO MILL INCREASE BOND. As taxpayers you will not see a millage rate increase. Please VOTE YES 4 BRANDON KIDS! They are our future, we owe them safe places to play, grow and learn.
Best Regards, Meg Bowman
Vote yes on bond extension
Dear Editor,
As a parent and alumnus of Brandon Schools, I’m voting YES on the zero mills bond proposal. Did you know:
·The District has held multiple information sessions about the bond proposal, beginning in May, 2021. Through Facebook posts, advertisements and community events, Brandon Schools has been transparent and clear in their messaging on this bond.
·This 2- series bond funds projects over 8 years, allowing higher prioritization of long-range facility planning/long-range planning for technology. This is a fiscally responsible plan, compliant with the school funding structure established in Michigan.
·Currently, taxpayers pay the 2006 bond until 2035-36 with no mill changes until 2029. With the new bond, taxpayers will see a reduction from 12 mills to 10.5 mills in 2031, and a drastic reduction to 4.5 mills in 2032 and gradually declines: expiring in 2040.
·Per Michigan law, schools can allocate up to 20 percent of foundation allowance funds to support capital improvements. That’s not much considering the high cost of labor and materials! Remember, the more general fund dollars spent on capital improvements, the less money that’s available for students.
·Most states offer school districts some type of direct aid for capital expenditures – Michigan does NOT. This, coupled with the 20 percent cap in capital expenditures, makes it nearly impossible to budget and save annually for the depth and breadth of improvements needed from year-to-year.
Voting YES is the BEST way to support Brandon Schools! #WeareBlackhawks Kimberly Smith-Kulaga
Vote no on bond extension
Dear Editor,
Brandon School District is currently proposing a $26 million dollar bond extension for the purpose of making infrastructure improvements at no increase to the school millage rate that the average homeowner pays. Wow, what a deal! Not so fast McClosky!
Brandon Schools currently owes $62 million dollars in bond debt. The $26 million would be added to this amount and our new amount of debt would be a staggering $88 million dollars. While the average homeowner would not see any increase to their annual school property tax rate, we would be paying much further into the future to pay off this debt!
How are we doing with paying back the 2006 bond loan of $72 million? Will this ever be paid off? And while I saw a generalized wish list of capital improvements, I was unable to determine what really needs to be done with $26 million of new taxes!
Also, do you really think that with all the economic uncertainty that we are currently experiencing, this is the time for our community to be taking on $26 million dollars more of school debt that will ultimately fall on our kids shoulders to pay off?
Inflation is rearing its ugly head and labor costs are up resulting in higher prices. We got a COVID crisis that has shut down businesses. We’ve got labor shortages and a resulting shortage of goods being made and truck drivers to deliver goods. General Motors reported 3rd quarter earnings were down over 30%. We had one million housing foreclosures last month and landlords have begun to evict renters for not paying their rent.
My strong recommendation is to “Vote No” on this current bond proposal, circle the wagons, and simply wait another year till the 2022 general election to revisit it.
Pat George, Village Council Trustee