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The Portage Lake District Library hopes to re-establish the service’s millage to the same rate as seven years ago. As with many millages, the Portage Lake district library millage charged to the city of Houghton and Portage Township residents was gradually reduced by the state’s Headlee Act. Library Director Katrina Linde-Moriarty says that the millage language can sometimes confuse people because of specific wording that must be used.
So seven years ago, we were approved for 1.9606 mills, and we would like to return and restore to that rate. So right now our millage is a little bit lower than that because of something called a Headlee rollback, and that applies to anyone with a millage in the state of Michigan. Essentially a little bit gets taken off each year to kind of account for inflation and the economy. And the thing is, is that our expenses are also adherent to inflation. So we would like to restore to our original amount from seven years ago and continue our ongoing operations as a library. – Katrina Linde-Moriarty, Director, Portage Lake District Library
Moriarty says that this summer’s reading program grew exponentially. Additionally, participation in children’s and adult programs throughout the year has increased. Developing the library into a shared third space for many people in the Copper Country.
Our new meeting rooms have been heavily used by current groups and new groups that are just kind of getting their feet underneath them. So we’ve seen even more community being created here at the library. And it’s even evident in our statistics from last year to this year, we’ve increased our door count already by 15 percent, which is a huge number. And that’s another reason why we want to seek. This millage continues our operations and continues fulfilling the needs of the community. – Katrina Linde-Moriarty, Director, Portage Lake District Library
While the Portage Lake District Library does seek out grants and programs to assist with the finances, the majority of operations are afforded by tax dollars. The Portage Lake District Library will seek a renewal of 1.9606 mills from 2025 until 2031. If passed the millage will cost a household with a property value of 150,000 dollars, approximately 147 dollars annually. Those interested in learning more about the Portage Lake District Library millage for consideration in the August 6th election can find informational materials provided by the library below.
