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ROGERS CITY - Presque Isle County voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to renew a property tax that supports the county’s recycling program.
The proposal asks voters to approve up to 0.2 mill for four years, from 2026 through 2029, for the acquisition, operation, maintenance, and administration of the system of solid waste management program in the county. If approved, the millage is estimated to raise $203,599 in its first year.
A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value. At 0.2 mill, the owner of a property with a taxable value of $100,000 would pay $20 a year toward the program.
The Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners first approved the ballot language on April 9. Chairman Clifford Tollini made the motion, and Commissioner Robin Hughes seconded it. The resolution passed 5-0, with Commissioners Robert Brietzke, Hughes, Tollini, Joe Libby and Rob Crook voting yes.
The meeting agenda listed the item as a recycling program services millage “renewal proposal with increase,” but during the April 9 discussion, board members described the request as basically unchanged from the current rate of 0.2 mill, according to a video recording of the meeting.
The same day, the board approved a three-year recycling agreement with Emmet County. According to the meeting minutes, Tollini told the board the agreement used the same language as the previous year and that commissioners had to decide whether to sign it for one year or three years.
During that discussion, board members noted the county’s recycling millage was good for one more year and would need to go back to voters this fall. The board chose the three-year term, which commissioners said would lock in the rates. The agreement passed 5-0, with Hughes making the motion and Libby seconding it.
The ballot question came back before the board July 9. During that meeting, a board member said the resolution passed in April “got dropped,” so commissioners voted again to make sure the question would appear on the November ballot. The minutes do not say why the earlier resolution did not move forward.
Libby made the motion to adopt Resolution 2026-19, and Crook seconded it. It passed 4-0, with Hughes excused.
The ballot language reads:
“Shall the tax limitation on general ad valorem taxes within Presque Isle County imposed under Article IX, Sec. 6 of the Michigan Constitution be renewed and shall Presque Isle County be authorized to levy up to .20 mills ($0.20 cents on each $1,000.00 of taxable valuation) for a period of four (4) years, being calendar years 2026 through 2029, inclusive, for the purpose of the acquisition, operation, maintenance, and administration of the system of solid waste management program of Presque Isle County? If fully levied, this measure would generate approximately $203,599.00 in revenue the first year.”
The ballot also notes that a portion of the money collected on certain properties within downtown development districts will be captured by the downtown development authorities of Rogers City and Onaway, an amount estimated at $430 in the first year.
A “yes” vote renews the tax for four years. A “no” vote rejects the renewal.
The recycling question is one of several proposals on Presque Isle County ballots this fall. Voters will also decide on a new 0.25-mill historical preservation millage that would support the Presque Isle County Historical Museum, the Great Lakes Lore Museum and the Onaway Area Historical Museum. A renewal of the county’s separate tax limitations, a 911 telephone surcharge and special education millages for two educational service districts are also on the ballot.
Residents who want to learn more about the county’s recycling and solid waste planning can attend meetings of the county’s Materials Management Planning Committee, which meets at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the county building.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Michigan voters can register and cast a ballot at their city or township clerk’s office through Election Day with proof of residency. Absentee ballots must be returned to the voter’s local clerk by 8 p.m. Nov. 3 to be counted.
Voters can view their sample ballot, find their polling place and check the status of an absentee ballot through the Michigan Voter Information Center at michigan.gov/vote.