Lake Michigan College will be asking voters to approve some millage renewals this year, although one of them will be substantially reduced.
The LMC board of Trustees on Tuesday approved a recommendation to seek a 20-year renewal of the operational millage and a 10-year renewal of the capital millage at 50% of its current rate.
College Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Governmental Relations Al Pscholka tells us the capital millage, which is used for building and safety improvements, will be reduced to 0.24 mills from 0.48 mills. Will that be enough?
“I think we’re good stewards of public money so that we’ll be able to use, between the general fund and the capital millage, and look at things like student housing, like boilers, like ventilation systems,” Pscholka said. “We think that we can make that work over the next ten years.”
The other millage, the operational millage, pays for day to day operations. Pscholka says it’s important to LMC that voters choose to support it again.
“The operational millage is critical. About 20% of the college’s budget comes out of that. And just a reminder that Lake Michigan College is 51% funded by property tax, about 25% tuition, 15% state appropriations, and then private funds make up the rest.”
If voters approve the operational millage renewal, it would be locked into its current rate of 0.665 mills through 2046.
Both millage renewals come at a time when LMC is growing its programs to help students train for jobs available now. The college has been stressing its role as the number one choice for higher education in the region, at a lower cost than most other institutions, and with high quality programming.
The election will be November 4.
