By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
There are many choices for local voters in the Aug. 5 Primary Election and the ballot will be two pages long.
That is why Van Buren Township Clerk Leon Wright urges voters who aren’t physically able to stand in long lines to get an absentee ballot and fill it out in the comfort of their homes.
He said the Presidential election last November also was two pages long and had very long lines.
This is a primary, so voters are reminded they have to choose whether they are voting in the Republican or Democratic side of the ballot – and stick with it.
There are non-partisan questions for judges and millages, so there is no Republican or Democratic side there.
Here’s a brief report on what will be on your primary ballot.
Governor
• Republican – Rick Snyder
• Democratic – Mark Schauer
Congressional
U.S. Senator
• Republican – Terri Lynn Land
• Democratic – Gary Peters
Rep. in Congress – 12th District
• Republican – Terry Bowman
• Democratic – Debbie Dingell or Raymond G. Mullins
Legislative
State Senator 6th District
• Republican – Darrell McNeill
• Democratic – Hoon Yung Hopgood
Representative in State Legislature
17th District (Sumpter Twp.)
• Republican – Charles A. Londo
• Democrat – Bill LaVoy, incumbent
21st District (Belleville, VBT)
• Republican – Carol Ann Fausone
• Democratic – Cornell Mathis, Natalie Mosher, or Kristy Pagan
County
County Executive
• Republican – Daniel K. Wenderlich, Fred A. Bolen, or John Dalton
• Democratic – Adam Salam Adamski, Phil Cavanagh, Cindy Darrah, Warren C. Evans, Robert A. Ficano, Russell George Leviska, Kevin M. McNamara, Bettie Cook Scott, Sigmunt John Szczepkowski, Jr., William R. Wild, or Christopher Wojtowicz
County Commissioner, 11th District
• Republican – No candidate on ballot
• Democratic – Jeremy R. Cady, William J. Collop, or A. Haidous
Delegate
• Republican and Democratic Delegates to County Conventions varies with each precinct.
Non-Partisan Section
Judicial
34th District Court, Incumbent Position, 6 year term, vote for not more than 1
• Lisa Martin
• David M. Parrott, Judge of the District Court
• Charles Septowski
Proposal Section
State Proposal 14-1
Approval or disapproval of amendatory act to reduce state use tax and replace with a local community stabilization share to modernize the tax system to help small businesses grow and create jobs.
The amendatory act adopted by the Legislature would:
1. Reduce the state use tax and replace with a local community stabilization share of the tax for the purpose of modernizing the tax system to help small businesses grow and create jobs in Michigan.
2. Require Local Community Stabilization Authority to provide revenue to local governments dedicated for local purposes, including police safety, fire protection, and ambulance emergency services.
3. Increase portion of state use tax dedicated for aid to local school districts.
4. Prohibit Authority from increasing taxes.
5. Prohibit total use tax rate from exceeding existing constitutional 6% limitation.
Should this law be approved?
District Library Proposals
BONDING PROPOSAL
Shall the Belleville Area District Library, formed by City of Belleville, Charter Township of Van Buren, and Township of Sumpter, each in the County of Wayne, State of Michigan, borrow the sum of not to
exceed Nineteen Million Fifty Thousand Dollars ($19,050,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds for all or a portion of that amount for the purpose of constructing, furnishing and equipping a new building for library purposes; constructing renovations to, furnishing and refurnishing and equipping and re-equipping an existing building for library purposes; and acquiring sites for library buildings?
The following is for informational purposes only:
The estimated millage that will be levied for the proposed bonds in 2014, is 1.08 mill ($1.08 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation). The maximum number of years the bonds may be outstanding, exclusive
of any refunding, is twenty (20) years. The estimated simple average annual millage anticipated to be required to retire this bond debt is 0.96 mill ($0.96 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation).
(Pursuant to State law, expenditure of bond proceeds must be audited, and the proceeds cannot be used for repair or maintenance costs, teacher, administrator or employee salaries, or other operating expenses.)
OPERATING MILLAGE PROPOSAL
This proposal will allow the District Library to levy additional millage in the City of Belleville, Charter Township of Van Buren, and Township of Sumpter for library operating purposes.
Shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all taxable property within the geographic boundaries of the Belleville Area District Library, Wayne County, Michigan, be increased by 1 mill ($1.00 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a period of 20 years, 2014 to 2033, inclusive, to provide funds for library operating purposes; the estimate of the revenue the District Library will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2014 is approximately $1,352,779, of which the District Library will receive $1,224,806 and the following entities will capture a portion of the revenues: Belleville Downtown Development Authority ($24,891), Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority ($73,050), and Van Buren Township Local Development Financing Authority ($30,032)?
Intermediate School District Proposal
ENCHANCEMENT MILLAGE PROPOSAL
Pursuant to state law, the revenue raised by the proposed enhancement millage will be collected by the Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency and distributed to local public school districts within the boundaries of the Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency based on pupil membership count.
Shall the limitation on the amount of ad valorem taxes which may be imposed on taxable property in the Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency, Michigan, be increased by 2.00 mills ($2 per thousand dollars of taxable value) for a period of six (6) years, 2014 to 2019, inclusive, as new additional millage to provide operating funds to enhance other state and local funding for local school district operating purposes? It is estimated that 2 mills would raise approximately $80,000,000 when first levied in 2014.
The revenue from this millage will be disbursed to the following school districts:
Allen Park Public Schools; Crestwood School District; Dearborn City School District; Dearborn Heights School District #7; School District of the City of Detroit; Ecorse Public School District; Flat Rock Community Schools; School District of the City of Garden City; Gibraltar School District; Grosse Ile Township Schools; The Grosse Pointe Public School System; Hamtramck Public Schools; City of Harper Woods Schools; School District of the City of Highland Park; Huron School District; School District of the City of Lincoln Park; Livonia Public Schools; Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Schools; Northville Public Schools; Plymouth-Canton Community Schools; Redford Union School District; River Rouge School District; Riverview Community School District; Romulus Community Schools; Southgate Community School District; South Redford School District; Taylor School District; Trenton Public Schools; Van Buren Public Schools; Wayne-Westland Community School District; Westwood Community Schools; Woodhaven-Brownstown School District; Wyandotte School District.