by Jackie Scheller

Polls will be open at 7 a.m. and you must be in line by 8 p.m.  Absentee ballots must be signed on the outside of the envelope and received prior to or on election day.  When you vote you contribute to growing and strengthening our democracy and communities. 

Special education capital improvement bond

You are being asked to vote on a “Special Education Facilities Capital Improvement Bond” for the Ingham Intermediate School District (ISD) in the amount of $99,960,000. 

The ISD is a consortium that serves 12 districts in Ingham County. This bond will ultimately serve severely disabled/cognitively impaired students currently attending the Beekman Center and Heartwood School. In addition to nine other districts, students from Stockbridge, Dansville and Leslie attend these programs. 

If this Bond passes the Beekman Center will be replaced. Beekman Center is located in Lansing and operated in an obsolete building (built in 1968) with dilapidated independent learning labs, an undersized lunchroom, kitchen, and other classrooms which have deteriorated over time and need to be replaced.

The  Heartwood School is located in Mason and serves students with moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment. Heartwood will be structurally renovated to provide students, aged three to 26, with needed safety enhancements at entryways, restrooms and classrooms. 

Stockbridge Community Schools special education consultant, Kelsey Jennett stated, “Several families from the local Stockbridge school district utilize the center-based instruction offered at Beekman and Heartwood. The services received are unavailable at the local district and highly effective for these students.” 

The mill rate is .55 or $110 on a $200K home, and over the years the rate is likely to decrease.

Emergency Services & EMS millage for Stockbridge Area

The Stockbridge Area Emergency Services Authority (SAESA) Fire Protection and EMS millage increase will be on the ballot. 

A .90 mill increase is being proposed for SAESA and EMS. When added to the current 1.6 mill that residents have been paying for the past 15 years, the total—2.5 mill over five years—will be used to fund emergency medical and fire services.

The additional funds are needed to address the increased costs of inflation, operations, staffing, and adhering to required regulations.

SAESA is an independent agency not connected to the Township, Village or Police. 

John Beck, SAESA manager,  has stated, “Without a funded fire and EMS service, there would be no guaranteed local fire or ambulance coverage.” 

The .90 mill increase would take what homeowners have been paying at 1.6 mills to 2.50 mills or $500 on a $200K home.