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News
By Allison Joy
IRON COUNTY – There are a number of millage renewals that voters will see on their ballots this month, as well as a couple of new measures. Feb. 27 will also be the first election in which early voting practices will be employed.
• Central Dispatch: There will be two millages for Central Dispatch on this February’s ballot. The first is a renewal of the current millage rate of 1 mill, set to expire at the end of this year. That millage was last on the ballot in 2020, with 68% of votes cast in favor. The second measure is for an additional .25 mils for the agency, which came under fire from county commissioners last year. Some on the board advocated outsourcing dispatch services to another county as a way to cut costs, though that initiative failed before it could be brought to a vote. If both measures were to pass, a total of 1.25 mills, or $1.25 for every $1,000 in taxable value, would go toward Central Dispatch.
• West Iron District Library: This is a renewal of the current 1.7373 mills through 2029 to fund local library services. A portion would go to the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority of Iron River – part of a state program that provides grants, loans and free environmental site assessments for the development of property that might be contaminated – as required by law. When the WIDL millage was last on the ballot in 2019, it passed with 76% of the vote.
• Maintenance of Effort and Medical Care Facility Operations: This is a renewal of 1.5 mils for a period of five years, valid through 2028 to go toward operations for the Iron County Medical Care Facility. This millage was last up for a vote in 2019, when it passed with roughly 75% voting in favor.
• Dickinson-Iron District Health Department: This is a renewal of .42 mils for a period of four years for DIDHD operations. In 2020, over 75% of votes were in favor of renewing the current millage at that time, and 60% voted in favor of an additional increase.
• The Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District: This is a new millage of .5206 mills to fund improvements to the district’s Career Technical Education Center in Kingsford. The Tech Center has served over 23,000 students since its inception in the 1970s, according to DIISD, with 500 students enrolled for the current academic year. This millage will be on the ballot for residents of Dickinson and Iron counties, as well as those of Faithorn Township.
• Bates Township General Operation/Road Maintenance: Residents of Bates Township will be asked to vote on a renewal of 3 mills through 2027. Of that 3 mills, 2 mills would go toward general township purposes and 1 mill to road maintenance. When the millage was last on the ballot in 2019, it passed with 91% of votes cast in favor.
The Feb. 27 election will be the first election with state-mandated early voting measures in place. Early voting will open on Feb. 17 in Iron County and close on Feb. 25.
The early voting site in Iron River will serve Iron River city, Caspian, Gaastra, Iron River Township and Stambaugh Township. The early voting site in Crystal Falls will serve Crystal Falls city and the townships of Crystal Falls, Hematite and Mansfield. Bates and Mastodon townships will host their own early voting sites.
More information on the Feb. 27 election is available at ironmi.com/voting-and-elections.