Council seats will be decided in Dickinson County cities Tuesday, while Iron Mountain voters also are being asked to approve a tax levy for a school liaison officer.

Five candidates are vying for three positions on the five-member Norway City Council, including incumbents Candy Brew, Jeremy Oja and Lee Meneghini. The challengers are Mark Bubloni and Jeff Muraro.

In Iron Mountain, four at-large seats are open on the seven-member council. There are four candidates on the ballot — incumbents Kyle Blomquist, Pamela Maule and Nathan Zemar and newcomer Ken Clawson. There also is a write-in candidate, Dale Close. One incumbent, Juan Saldana, did not seek re-election.

Kingsford has no opposition on the ballot for three positions on its five-member council. The candidates are incumbents Cynthia Dixon-Miller and Michael Flaminio and newcomer Kylie Remer. Tony Erickson declined to seek re-election.

Iron Mountain’s millage proposal calls for a property tax levy of up to .55 mills, or 55 cents per $1,000 of (Continued from 1-A)

taxable value, to fund a full-time liaison officer in Iron Mountain Public Schools for five years.

The position is crucial, Iron Mountain Director of Police and Fire Services Ed Mattson stressed.

“I always say, if you want an armed guard, then you should hire an armed guard,” Mattson said. “A school liaison is a lot more than that.”

The officer would handle abuse and neglect or sexual assault complaints, as well as provide instruction on topics such as cyber safety, Mattson said.

“When the kids in the school know a liaison officer, information flows so much better,” Mattson said, later adding, “It was an absolutely instrumental position within the department and the kids; the school district and the city have suffered not having one.”

An officer had been assigned to the position for about 12 years when the school decided it would no longer split the cost with the city. Voters rejected a similar millage increase to rescue the program in November 2014.

“When I was a kid, if there was a police car at the school, somebody was in trouble,” Mattson said. “Unfortunately, we’ve kind of gotten back to that because we’re unable to be there every day.”

Although the request is for 0.55 mills, the city needs only about 0.45 mills to fund the salary and benefits at $105,000. It could choose to levy just that amount, said Jordan Stanchina, city manager.

The millage request is higher than what’s currently needed because the city doesn’t know what the necessary levy will be five years from now, Stanchina explained.

On a home worth $90,000, with a taxable value of $45,000, a tax of 0.55 mills amounts to $24.75 a year. It’s estimated that 0.55 mills would raise about $131,000 when first levied in 2020.

Other races in the region include —

IRON COUNTY

City of Caspian — Commissioner (two seats): Michael Stachowicz, Mark Stauber (i).

City of Gaastra — Mayor: Thomas Place; Commissioner (two seats): Randy Clements, Delsey Treado (i).

City of Iron River — Mayor: Dennis Powell, Mark Polley; Commissioners (two seat): Benjamin Garcia, Keith Hamel, RonJo Leonoff, Patricia Mercier (i), Damon Nasser, Anthony Clements.

MENOMINEE COUNTY

City of Menominee — Mayor: Jean Stegeman (i); Council member-First Ward (one seat): Jacqueline Nutter, Kris Rusch; Council member-Second Ward (one seat): Scott Christiansen, Steve Fifarek (i); Council member-Third Ward (one seat): Dennis Klitzke (i), Edward Smith; Council member-Fourth Ward (one seat): Frank Pohlmann (i).

Meyer Township — To renew a 1 mill, or $1 per $1,000 of taxable property value, operating levy for Meyer Township Fire Department from 2019 to 2022. The millage would raise an estimated $33,378.43 in the first year.