Muskegon Community College is looking to pass a restoration millage on the August 4 ballot that could generate about $2.1 million annually to fund campus improvements and expand operations.
WATCH: MCC millage restoration on August 4 ballot to fund campus upgrades
The proposal asks voters to approve 0.2980 additional mills, restoring MCC's operating rate to the 2.4 mills originally approved in 1993. That rate has since been rolled back to around 2.1 mills due to the Headlee Amendment, which reduces millage rates when property values rise faster than the rate of inflation.
In Tuesday's town hall, MCC Chief Financial Officer Beth Dick outlined what the funding would support.
"What the proposal would support over the next five years, we propose improvements to safety and security upgrades, classroom technology, heating, cooling, and window replacements, accessibility…" Dick said.
Over the next five years, the proposal would also include roof replacements and renovations to student spaces across campus.
MCC President John Selmon said restoring the millage is about more than repairs, it is about positioning the college for the future.
"This is our 100 years centennial, so we're trying to position institutionally for the next 100 years, and that is facilities, programs, technology, infrastructure, all those things that need to happen for you to have a very good learning environment," Selmon said.
An architecture and engineering firm called TowerPinkster recommended nearly $50 million worth of improvements to the campus in a facilities plan, but Dick noted that tuition alone cannot meet the college's needs, as MCC is capped on how much it can raise tuition in order to receive full state aid.
"Aging buildings cost taxpayers more dollars later, so restoring the millage would be a way to fix things before they become a bigger and more costly expense," Dick said.
MCC will host three more community-wide town hall meetings before the August 4 vote. Details on the remaining town halls, including times and dates, are available below:
Tuesday, June 17 — 6:30 pm at First Lutheran Church.
Tuesday, June 24 — 5:30 pm at White Lake Community Library.
Thursday, July 23 — 7:00 pm at the Main Campus in Overbrook Theater.
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