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ROGERS CITY - Presque Isle County voters on Tuesday renewed a small property tax that supports the county’s recycling program.
The 0.2-mill recycling program services millage passed 3,665 to 3,016, or 54.86% in favor, according to unofficial results from the Presque Isle County Clerk’s office. Results certified by the county's board of canvassers on Wednesday.
The millage will be levied 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, according to the ballot. It is expected to raise about $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 pays $20 a year toward the program.
The ballot notes that a portion of the money collected on certain properties in 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.
The Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners first approved the ballot language April 9 by a 5-0 vote. The meeting agenda listed the item as a “renewal proposal with increase,” but during the 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. During that discussion, board members noted the recycling millage was good for one more year and would need to go back to voters this fall.
The question returned to the board July 9. A board member said the April resolution “got dropped,” so commissioners voted 4-0 to adopt Resolution 2026-19 to make sure it would appear on the November ballot.
Recycling also came up at the board’s March 12 meeting, when Chairman Clifford Tollini asked whether a county work crew could help pick up around the recycling area, saying two townships had asked him about it, according to the minutes.
The renewal keeps the tax in place through 2029.