Advertisement

The board voted, 5-0, to seek the straight .3 mill increase that would raise taxes 30 cents per $1,000 of taxable value from 2007-2012. The increase would raise an estimated $75,906 that the township would use for its roads, according to the board's resolution.

A .4 mill hike, which would have renewed a previous .2 mill road tax, was voted down in November.

Township Trustee Brett Pharo said he thought it would be redundant to ask for the .4 mill increase again, and township trustee Tom Cole suggested the township could ask for .2 or .3 mills. Pharo said .3 mill rate would pay for about one mile of roads per year.

Resident Jerry Mensing pointed out that on a May ballot, the road millage will be "at loggerheads" with a proposed Elk Rapids Public Schools technology bond that voters may also decide the fate of during that election. He thinks voters would choose one or the other, he said.

"Boy, what are we going to do?" he said. "We need the roads to get the kids to the schools, but the kids need the computers."

Township supervisor Lon Bargy said it is a tough decision. Resident Keith Termaat said the Governor is also "doing her bit to raise taxes" and he thinks a simple renewal of the .2 mills would be a "shoo-in."

Glenn Paradis, an Antrim County Road Commissioner, said the county road commission's budget will go into deficit if the gas tax isn't raised. He said the tax is at 18 cents now and was last increased in 1997.

"You can't look for them to help you," he said.

In other action at the meeting, the board in 5-0 votes approved three separate salary resolutions for the township supervisor, clerk and treasurer. The proposed salaries will be voted on by township residents during the upcoming annual meeting, which is set for 7 p.m. Monday, March 26.

The proposed salaries for the supervisor and treasurer would raise their pay by 4 percent, and the clerk's salary would remain the same. If approved at the annual meeting, the township supervisor's salary would be $22,002.24 (up from $21,156 in 2006), the clerk would remain at $19,040 and the treasurer's pay would be $26,292.24 (up from $25,281).