Presque Isle County voters approve museum millage
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ROGERS CITY - Presque Isle County voters on Tuesday approved a new property tax to help pay for three local history museums.
The 0.25-mill historical preservation millage passed 3,442 to 3,344, or 50.72% in favor, according to unofficial results from the Presque Isle County Clerk’s office. Results were certified by the Presque Isle County Board of Canvassers on Wednesday.
The new tax will be levied for five years, from 2027 through 2031. It is expected to raise about $274,300 in 2027, according to the ballot language.
A mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value. At 0.25 mill, the owner of a home with a taxable value of $100,000 will pay $25 a year. A home with a taxable value of $50,000 will pay $12.50 a year. Taxable value is often lower than a home’s market value.
The money will pay for “historical preservation services through a contract with the Presque Isle County Historical Museum, Inc., the Great Lakes Lore Museum, Inc., and the Onaway Area Historical Museum, Inc.,” according to the ballot.
The Presque Isle County Historical Museum had urged a yes vote on a page on its website titled “Save Our Museums.”
“A funding gap threatens the operational hours and upkeep of our historic artifacts and sites,” the museum says on the page. It says passing the millage “is necessary to prevent a budget shortfall and keep our museum doors open.”
The museum says that while the three museums do “extensive fundraising,” it “isn’t supporting the museums’ needs.”
The proposal reached the ballot after months of debate by the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners. On April 24, the board voted 3-2 to adopt a millage resolution for the August ballot, but the question did not make that ballot. At the board’s June 11 meeting, Mike Breadow, listed in the minutes as treasurer, asked that it be placed on the November ballot.
The board approved that request 3-2, and on June 26 adopted Historical Preservation Resolution 2026-18 by another 3-2 vote. Commissioners Robin Hughes, Robert Brietzke and Joe Libby supported the measure in those votes. Chairman Cliff Tollini and Commissioner Rob Crook voted against it.
Besides its exhibits, the county museum runs the King Room in its annex, which holds photos, documents, county cemetery records and military books for researchers, according to its website.
The first levy under the new millage will be in 2027.