Reader Objects to Paying School Millage on 2nd Residence

I was interested in an article written by Judy Walton, superintendent [Harrison Community Schools District]. It is not just Harrison, but all Michigan voters. The article covers the Non-Homesteading Operating Millage. The law means that Harrison voters may, due to that law, tell Harrison voters how to vote on a law that permits a person to dictate how another’s tax money may be spent.

Simply put, I as a cottage owner may not have any voice on how my school mileage shall be spent and I have a sound problem with “taxation without representation." Cottage owners and other owners of property in Clare County who are not residents have no say on how their school taxes are spent in the locations if they are not residents but are taxpayers where the school is located.

May I give you a concrete example? Given a property in Harrison say with a taxation value of $100,000. The millage sets the actual taxation at $1,500. If the owner lives in Harrison, they will be billed at 30-40% less. However, if it was me who owned the property who does not live in Harrison – I would pay the full $1,500!

After all these years – since the late ’90s – I am still trying to understand the logic or fairness of this method of taxation.

Again, the people of Harrison are given the facts of a law totally "out of balance" from the very beginning and, after nearly 30 years, there has been no effort to correct one of the most unjust laws ever made by our legislators. 

The many lawmakers to whom I have made contact have always displayed an apathic attitude to this change.

James Crawford

New Lothrop