Despite voters saying no to the millage this past November, the Tuscola County Board of Commissioners yesterday approved calling a special election to see if the voters have changed their mind about a proposal by the county and sheriff to upgrade and/or replace the jail.
The decision, made at Thursday’s meeting, was decided with a unanimous vote from the present commissioners, with District One commissioner Thomas Young being absent at the April 27 meeting. The millage is set to appear on the ballot for the Tuesday, August 8 election, reading: “Shall the County of Tuscola, State of Michigan, borrow the principal sum not to exceed Forty-Four Million Dollars ($44,000,000), and issue its unlimited tax general obligation bonds, in one or more series, payable in not to exceed thirty (30) years, to pay the cost of constructing, furnishing and equipping a new Tuscola County Jail and Sheriff’s Facility, including parking, landscaping, access roadways and other appurtenances?”
According to Tuscola County Sheriff Glenn Skrent, the facilities are in desperate need of renovation or replacement, with the Sheriff’s Office still offering tours of the jail, as they did before the November election, to let voters get a full picture. However, a tour won’t answer the more pressing questions of opposed citizens, such as a breakdown of how the $44 million will be spent during the project.
The Tuscola County commissioners voted in favor of getting the issue back on the ballot earlier this year in February, with the sheriff’s office meeting with the county’s economic development corporation last week to discuss the current jail’s issues.
If the millage is approved in August, the estimated millage to be levied the first year is 0.9800 mills ($0.98 per $1,000 of taxable value) and the estimated simple average annual millage rate required to retire the bonds is 0.9521 mills ($0.95 per $1,000 of taxable value).
