Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A non-homestead millage renewal for Hartland Consolidated Schools will appear on the May ballot.

A proposal to renew and restore the full 18-mills on non-homestead properties will greet district voters on Tuesday, May 2nd.

The millage has been in existence since Proposal A went into effect in 1994 and was last approved by voters in 2018. It is not a new tax but an existing levy that applies to non-homestead property in the district. That includes industrial, commercial, rental, and vacation properties - it does not include a family’s primary residence. Officials noted the no impact on residential or most agricultural property. There is said to be a very slight increase due to Headlee Rollback, which allows the District to capture the full 18-mills approved by voters previously.

Should the millage fail, it would result in the loss of roughly $5.5 (M) million to the district a year – and more than a $25 (m) million hit to the district’s operating budget over the next five years. The funds cannot be replaced by other sources and areas that could potentially suffer include teaching staff, transportation, security, class sizes, and electives and field trips. Transportation alone costs the District around $3.4 (m) million a year.

Some in the community have been campaigning to defeat the millage.

Superintendent Chuck Hughes told WHMI the non-homestead millage has been built into their budget every year since Prop A passed and the request has never failed prior but for some reason this year, there seem to be people who want to portray it as a new tax. Hughes stressed that it is not a new tax and it’s something in place for almost every public school in the state. If it doesn’t pass, he says it cuts into their operational budget - which means cuts have to be made and “that’s not good for kids”.

Hughes will be a guest on WHMI’s Viewpoint Program Sunday morning at 8:30. It can later be downloaded from the “Podcast” section of our website.

More information about the request is available on the District’s website. That link is provided.