DATA millage passes
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DELTA COUNTY -- Results tallied on Tuesday night showed that the county-wide millage pitched by Delta Area Transit Authority (DATA) was approved by a majority of voters, meaning that owners of taxable property throughout Delta County will pay .689 mills for a period of eight years.
The proposal received 6,449 "yes" votes (65.18%) and 3,445 "no" votes (34.8%).
DATA is an organization that is classified as both a public transportation system and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Unlike transit systems in large cities that follow planned routes, DATA operates where needed based on calls. Riders tend to call in advance or book through an app to schedule rides. Discounts are given for seniors, individuals with disabilities, students and veterans, making taking the DATA bus an affordable option for vulnerable populations.
DATA -- and perhaps more heavily, Friends of DATA -- had been promoting the millage for months leading up to the election. Now that it's been passed, "transit service (will) be available throughout all of Delta County, with expanded service hours including early morning service and Friday and Saturday evening service," according to databus.org.
As of right now, the following townships lie outside of DATA's service area: Wells, Garden, Nahma, Maple Ridge, Baldwin, Cornell and Fairbanks.
Notably, a majority of voters in Baldwin, Cornell, Maple Ridge and Fairbanks Townships voted against the millage.
With the proposal approved by a majority in the county, however, people will soon be able to call for rides to and from those areas. DATA Executive Director John Stapleton said that the expansion will be phased in between October and January.
The effect on taxpayers: A homeowner with a house worth $200,000 will be paying about $69 per year — a new additional levy for the townships not previously served. For property owners in Escanaba, Gladstone and the seven townships already served, that amounts to less than a $20 increase per year.
Prior to the election, DATA had said that if the millage did not pass, services would likely be reduced, potentially switching other contract-only rides -- like through Pathways and Lakestate -- instead of continuing to be available to the public at large.
OTHER PROPOSALS
– Bark River Township passed its fire department millage renewal, with 82.13% voting in favor. The rate is 1.5 mills for fire protection for five years.
– Ensign Township residents also approved their fire department’s millage renewal, with 81.52% in support. The approved 1.5 mills will be in effect for six years.
– Masonville Township had proposed a new levy of an amount not to exceed .55 mills for fire protection and emergency medical service for 10 years. 70.83% of voters approved it, so the millage passed.
– In Fairbanks Township, 63.33% of voters approved a millage renewal for road maintenance and repairs. The cost is .62 mills for four years.
Note: Numbers in this article were retrieved by 11:30 p.m. on election night from enhancedvoting.com, where Delta County enters their data. All election results are considered unofficial until certified by the boards of canvassers.