Ingham County will ask voters to approve $12 million in property tax funding
Craig Lyons
LANSING – Ingham County voters in March will decide if they want to renew three millages expected to generate $12.4 million in revenue.
The Ingham County Board of Commissioners approved the millages for placement on the ballot in November.
If all three pass, a property owner will pay $244.50, based on a $150,000 taxable value. In all, the county’s nine voter-approved millages cost a person owning a home with a $150,000 taxable value $681 per year.
How much will it cost?
All Ingham County’s millages are based on $1,000 of taxable value.
Here’s what owners of a home with a $150,000 taxable value will pay per millage if each passes:
- $75 for Potter Park Zoo
- $75 for trails and parks
- $94.50 for health services
Are these new?
No. All three millages on the March ballot are renewals.
Voters in 2016 approved the Potter Park Zoo and trails and parks millages. The health care services millage was last renewed in 2015.
What the Potter Park Zoo millage pays for
The Potter Park Zoo and Potter Park millage aims to levy 0.5 mills for six years starting in 2021. The county estimates the millage would raise $3.8 million during the first year. The new levy, if approved, would be a slight increase from 0.41 mills previously levied.
The Potter Park millage pays for operations, maintenance and improvements at the zoo and park.
Improvements to zoo facilities are needed and part of the reason behind the millage increase, zoo officials told the Board of Commissioners’ County Services Committee in December.
Upgrades to zoo buildings, demolition of a moat and regular building maintenance are needed to maintain Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation.
"This is about taking care of what we have," said Amy Morris-Hall, executive director of the Potter Park Zoo Society.
What the trails and parks millage pays for
The trails and parks millage question seeks 0.5 mills for five years starting in 2020. The millage is expected to raised $3.8 million for the trails and parks programs in the first year.
The trails millage primarily pays for a grant program offered to individual communities to create a county-wide system of trails and parks and maintain existing infrastructure.
The county gives out about $3.3 million for projects per year but that can fluctuate, said Melissa Buzzard, the trails and parks millage coordinator.
Improvements to the Lansing River Trail, Americans with Disabilities Act improvements at Lake Lansing North and the Hayhoe Riverwalk in Mason are some of the larger projects funded by the millage, Buzzard said.
“Everyone is putting into this pie and everyone should have a piece of it,” Buzzard said.
The commissioners already agreed to fund projects in 2020, but those are contingent on voters approving the millage. The contingency also applies to an Ingham County park ranger position, which could cost upward of $71,256 for salary and personnel costs.
What the health services millage pays for
The health services millage will levy 0.63 mills for four years starting in 2020. The county estimates the millage would generate $4.8 million during the first year. The health millage is an increase from the prior authorized rate of 0.52 mills.
Ingham County created the health services millage to cover the needs of low-income residents who aren’t eligible for Medicaid or otherwise lack insurance coverage.
Using the millage dollars, Ingham County contracts with the Ingham Health Plan Corp. to provide medical services. The millage capped IHPC administrative costs at $1 million.
Voters first authorized the millage at .0.52 mills and it generated roughly $3.4 million per year. The millage was later lowered to 0.35 mills, which generated roughly $2.4 million per year.
In 2018, IHCP served a total of 2,134 residents with 1,510 residents considered "millage eligible," an annual report said. The health plan paid out $991,257 in claims for health care visits and $162,832 for prescriptions that year.
Under the current plan, an individual eligible for the plan could have a maximum income of $28,000. The new millage would make residents whose household income is at or below 250% of federal poverty guidelines eligible for health coverage through the millage.
The county wanted to expand income guidelines to make more people eligible for public funds covering their health care, in addition to adding mental health services, said Commissioner Ryan Sebolt, D-Lansing.
“There’s a need for additional services that aren’t being covered,” Sebolt said.
Contact reporter Craig Lyons at 517-377-1047 or calyons@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @craigalyons.