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CRYSTAL FALLS -- Iron County voters will have at least two millage proposals up for renewal on the Feb. 27 ballot.
The Iron County Board set a county-wide vote on a total of 1.25 mills, or $1.25 per $1,000 of taxable property value, for Iron County Central Dispatch/911 service for four years. The current 1 mill expires in 2024. If approved, the 1 mill would generate an estimated $634,283 in its first year, plus $158,571 more with the new .25 mill.
Also slated for a renewal vote Feb. 27 is a 1.5 millage, or $1.50 per $1,000 of taxable property value, for the Iron County Medical Care Facility from 2024 to 2028. The millage, which expires in 2024 as well, would raise an estimated $951,425 in its first year if renewed.
The board, however, decided Tuesday to pay for the Iron County Veterans Service Office from the county's general budget rather than continuing a .075 millage, or $.075 per $1,000 of taxable property value. The county will match the estimated $47,571 annually expected from that millage. Board members said it was a service the county should fund rather than taxpayers.
In other business, the board:
-- Set Jan. 1 through 15 to allow regular seasonal campers to reserve spots in Pentoga Park, 1630 County Road 424 in Crystal Falls, before opening the sites up for others. Those campers can lock in spaces at a rate of $1,980, plus a new $50 early reservation fee. The board also added five seasonal slots, again available until Jan. 15. Pentoga Park officials said seasonal campers each year occupy about 60 of the park's 135 campsites, providing a reliable revenue base. Reservations can be made by calling 906-265-3979. The park annually opens May 15.
-- Approved raising Board of Canvassers pay from $25 per meeting to $40 for a two-hour session and $60 if longer, effective Jan. 1.
-- Heard that the bathrooms at the Iron County fairgrounds in Iron River had been damaged by vandalism. In one instance, someone dropped objects from the top level of the grandstands onto the bathroom roof. The bathroom door also was broken open. The county plans to set up higher fencing atop the grandstands.
-- Authorized paying $3,500 to have Coleman Engineering, on behalf of Colligo GIS, to complete GIS mapping in Hematite Township. The board also renewed Coleman's $3,500 contract for Colligo GIS in 2024 to maintain the county's web-based GIS hosting.
-- Placed $83,557 in Opioid Settlement Funds in the 2023 budget. The county received those funds after setting the 2023 budget, so needed to create a line for the money. These funds are restricted mainly to drug addiction services; the county is looking at using them for counseling in jail.