L'ANSE - The village of L'Anse approved the 2012 budget and millage rate during its regular meeting Monday.
The 2012 General Appropriations Act will not include a tax increase, and the millage rate has remained stable since 1997. A public hearing was held prior to the regular meeting, but no public attended.
"The recommendation is for a 0 percent millage increase which will not affect anyone's taxes this year," Bob LaFave, village manager, said during the meeting.
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Stephen Anderson/Daily Mining Gazette
L’Anse Village Manager Bob LaFave discusses the village’s budget and millage rates Monday during the council’s regular meeting.
The 15.9649-mill grand total on real and personal property tax breaks down as follows: 10.015 general fund, 0.455 cemetery, 2.731 street fund, 0.925 fire hall bond and 1.8389 Downtown Development Authority special assessment mills. The total taxable value is $50,841,841.
The 7.063 Industrial Facilities Tax millage includes 5.0075 general fund, 0.2275 cemetery, 1.3655 street fund and 0.4625 fire hall bond mills. The total IFT taxable valuation is $5,829,176.
The estimated revenues and expenditures for the various village funds are: $1,327,790 for the general fund, $214,500 for the major street fund, $180,000 for the local street fund, $219,000 for the municipal street fund and $167,350 for the DDA fund.
Apparent inequities in the utility funds are created by enterprise funds that do not include the depreciation figures the village can figure in. Projected revenues for the utilities are: $1,715,100 for electric, $823,800 for sewer and $611,000 for water, while projected expenditures are $1,707,720 for electric, $970,405 for sewer and $662,804 for water.
The council also approved a bond ordinance and the first pay request for its upcoming $1.44 million water project. Danielson Construction out of Baraga has been awarded the contract, and the village will close on the bond for the project June 26 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program.
Monday's first payment draw request, totaling $195,137.74, was presented by Greg Kingstrom from U.P. Engineers & Architects for initial legal and engineering fees. Construction, which will involve work on water lines and a water tank on Dynamite Hill, is projected to start in early July and be completed in a couple months, according to LaFave.
Also during Monday's meeting, the council:
approved LaFave to make necessary budget adjustments and transfers.
voiced support for the countywide road millage, which will be on the Aug. 7 ballot. The council emphasized that while the wording makes it sound like a new millage, it's actually a tax renewal.
approved reappointing Corie Saarinen to the Green Hill Manor board.
held a public hearing to acknowledge the $12,008,216 investment in L'Anse through the CertainTeed project. The village contributed $139,146, the Michigan Department of Transportation contributed $1,777,982 and the Community Development Block Grant program contributed $991,088, while CertainTeed invested $9,100,000 to help save 109 jobs and create 35 new jobs at the CertainTeed facility. No public attended the hearing, which was held as a requirement through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
heard from village president Cheryl Dingeldey: "Hats off to everyone that put on and/or participated in the Lake Trout Festival. I thought it was a really big hit - the town was just abuzzing."