Voters in Ottawa and Muskegon counties Tuesday will head to the polls to consider several proposals on the ballot.
Beginning in Muskegon County, residents in Blue Lake Township and Egleston Township will consider millages that if passed, would support each municipality’s local fire departments, while Muskegon, Grand Haven, Mona Shores, Whitehall and Fremont public schools are all seeking millage or bond proposals for district enhancements and repairs.
One vote education officials on the Lakeshore will be watching is the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District (MAISD) enhancement millage which would provide the county’s 18 districts and charter schools with security and technology funding.
Reeths-Puffer Schools Superintendent Steve Edwards:
“When you are trying to learn something as complex as reading as a kindergartener or first grader, and you are thinking about whether or not you are actually safe, you can’t invest the mental resources into learning such complex tasks.”
In Ottawa County, Holland Voters will consider the sale of public land downtown to build a new hotel and cruise ship dock, while residents will also be asked to continue to support the Holland Aquatic Center through a millage renewal. In Grand Haven, voters will be asked to approve a nearly $13 million bond proposal for a new fire station, while the public school district is asking for a $155 million bond proposal that would fund the construction of a new middle school.
Next door in Spring Lake, all eyes will be on the district’s $50 million bond proposal that includes a new fieldhouse and secured high school entrance.
Spring Lake Superintendent Dennis Furton:
“Students who don't feel safe do not do as well in the classroom. There is no doubt that we need our students and staff to feel safe.”
Meanwhile the Ottawa Area ISD is seeking a renewal of an operating millage while districts in Zeeland, Hudsonville and West Ottawa all have proposals on the ballot as well.
Polls are open Tuesday, May 2, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
