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ROGERS CITY — For Rogers City voters, an operating millage renewal and sinking fund millage proposal to support Rogers City Area Schools will be on the ballot in November. Voters across Presque Isle County will have the opportunity to vote on a Career and Technical Education (CTE) millage proposed by the Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Isle Educational Service District (COP ESD), as well. Voting will take place on Nov. 4.

ROGERS CITY AREA SCHOOLS OPERATING MILLAGE RENEWAL

The operating millage, if the renewal is passed, will be renewed for a period of 6 years, 2027 to 2032, inclusive, to provide funds for operating purposes; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and 18 mills are levied in 2027 is approximately $2,413,670.

The proposal will allow the school district to continue to levy the statutory rate not to exceed 18 mills on all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law. The current operating millage will expire with the 2026 tax levy.

A rate of 18 mills equates to about $900 on a property with a taxable value of $50,000.

The operating millage is vital to the district’s funding.

“Without the operating millage you wouldn’t be able to operate the district,” Superintendent Nick Hein said. “The cuts would be so drastic, I don’t even know where we would begin.”

He said that the operating millage makes up about 20% of the district’s revenue.

The operating millage is essential for day to day operations, and there are no specifications on how that funding can be used.

Rogers City Schools Board President Andy Grambau said that if the proposal fails, the district would have to scramble to come up with funding, and the renewal would be put on the ballot again in the future.

ROGERS CITY AREA SCHOOLS SINKING FUND PROPOSAL

The sinking fund proposal will allow the school district to continue to levy a building and site sinking fund millage. The proposal, if passed, will allow the board of education authorization to increase a tax levy in an amount not to exceed 1.162 mills. That rate would cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $50,000 about $58 a year for a period of 8 years, 2029 to 2036, inclusive.

The estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2029 is approximately $425,097. The sinking fund is designated for building, construction, and maintenance purposes.

Projects that the district plans to complete using the sinking fund include roof repairs on the high school, boiler system replacement, and fire alarm system upgrades.

Hein said that the sinking fund keeps the district from having to ask taxpayers to pay for a bond. The steady flow of income over time from the fund helps the district pay for repairs out of pocket as they come. For instance, they have been slowly working on re-roofing the high school using the sinking fund, a project that would cost $1.2 million to be done all at once.

“This place means a lot to both of us,” Hein said, speaking of himself and Rogers City Area Schools Business Manager Bridget LaLonde. “We are taxpayers. As residents here, we are just as invested in this place as anyone else.”

“The consensus we have with the board is these are the priorities we need to address and we are working towards those goals,” Hein said, speaking of both the operating and sinking fund millage renewals.

CHEBOYGAN-OTSEGO-PRESQUE ISLE EDUCATIONAL SERVICE DISTRICT CTE MILLAGE

COP ESD is currently one of 15 education service districts throughout Michigan without a CTE millage, according to the COP ESD’s millage proposal webpage.

If approved, 100% of the revenue generated by the levy for the next six years would support the expansion and enhancement of vocational education programs in schools throughout the region, according to the web page.

​Under the proposal, industry partners would advise COP ESD and local school districts on CTE curriculum and program development to align student learning with the current and emerging needs of the regional workforce.

The annual property tax levied for that purpose is limited to 1 mill. That would cost a homeowner with a taxable value of $50,000, $50 a year for a period of 6 years, 2026 to 2031, inclusive; the estimate of the revenue that COP ESD will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2026 is approximately $4,824,559 from local property taxes.

Jamie Huber, superintendent of COP ESD, said that CTE provides an opportunity for students to connect with Northeast Michigan employers and move on to start their careers locally.

“Research shows that when students take CTE programs, they have higher graduation rates,” Huber said.

Hein clarified that the CTE millage is a regional millage, and ultimately the funds will be distributed from the COP ESD.

“Voters have the ability to fund that and it is up to each individual,” he said.

Rogers City Area Schools has a shop program and dual enrollment opportunities with Alpena Community College that offers students a lot of options in the trades, Hein said.

The COP ESD Board will decide on the amount levied, which will be the same amount for each of the 10 school districts within the region, Hein said in a letter. The COP ESD Board and only that board, will allocate funding collected from tax dollars based on the needs regionally for CTE course offerings.

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.