CARNEY — Residents of Gourley and Nadeau townships in Menominee County voted Tuesday against Carney-Nadeau Public Schools’ operating millage proposal.

The proposal would have allowed the school district to levy the statutory rate of non-homestead properties at a maximum rate of 18 mills. With a current levy of 16.9774 mills in place, the increase would have raised a taxpayer’s bill by 1.03 mills, or $1.03 per $1,000 of taxable property value. The tax would not have applied to principal residences.

The vote was 211, or 49.07%, yes; 219, or 50.93%, no.

One goal Carney-Nadeau hoped to achieve with the funding was to earmark the majority for a new roof, which will be needed in 10 to 15 years. Purchasing a new school bus every five or six years would also have been made possible, the district said before the election.

This proposal would have allowed for an increase of 1.9081 mills on the current levy of 16.9774. However, since the maximum rate of levy is 18 mills, the extra .8855 mills would have acted as a cushion to prevent further Headlee Reductions for the district.

The Headlee Act, a 1978 state amendment, reduces millage rates to the extent property values increase faster than inflation to counteract inflation.

An operational millage does not fund schools above their state allotment; however, it is required for schools to receive the full amount of funding. Any levy less than 18 mills results in the school district receiving less than its full per-pupil funding allocation from the state.

Carney-Nadeau Public Schools officials hope to reintroduce the proposal at a later date.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the end result we were looking for with this particular proposal, but we will try again. Operational fund levies on non-homestead properties are a necessary requirement for a public school to receive state funding,” Carney-Nadeau Public Schools Superintendent Adam Cocco said in a written statement to the Daily Press. “When a school’s operational levy falls below 18 mills – as can occur through a mechanism known as a ‘Headlee Reduction’ – the state essentially withholds a prorated portion of that school’s state allotment. It leaves money on the table, in our case, approximately $30,000. Passing this proposal is a necessary step for us to receive our state funding in full.”