library maintenance - WKTV Journal

Tomorrow both residents of Kentwood and Wyoming will be heading to the polls to vote on millage proposals.

Residents from the two cities – along with all of Kent County – will be voting on a proposed Kent Intermediate School District Regional Enhancement Millage. The property tax increase of .9 mills would be distributed to all 20 school districts in Kent County for the next 10 years. The amount is about .90 cent of taxable evaluation. For a $200,000 home, the taxable evaluation would be $100,000 with the increase being about $90 per year.

If passed, each district would receive an additional $211 per student each year, which can be used to supplement the funding that comes from the state of Michigan. School officials have stated the funding would be used to help maintain programs, improve services and meet other needs. Each school district will be able to determine how to spend the money. For more information on the district’s plans for the money, clicking on the school’s name which will direct you to the School News Network stories. For more on the millage, click here.

Godfrey Lee Public Schools will receive about $450,000.

Godwin Heights Public Schools will receive about $500,000.

Kelloggsville Public Schools will receive about $470,000.

Wyoming Public Schools will receive about $900,000.

Also, the residents of Wyoming are being asked to vote for flexible funding by opening up its library maintenance millage to help with park improvements. The city is seeking about .16 of the .39 of the mill levy to help with park improvements at four parks, Ferrand, Ideal, Gezon, and Jackson. The nearly $800,000 per year raised would be use to pay a 15-year bond of $4.4 million. The cost for the average Wyoming homeowner would be about $12 a year, according to city officials. For more about the millage, visit WYParks.com.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

Tonight, the City of Wyoming will host a second meeting to discuss the upcoming request to open up its library maintenance millage for park improvements.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. tonight at the Gezon Fire Station located at 2300 Gezon Parkway SW. On the May 2 ballot, the city is requesting that .16 of the .39 library maintenance levy be used to help with park improvements. The nearly $800,000 per year raised would be use to pay a 15-year bond of $4.4 million. The bond money would be dedicated for park improvements at Ideal, Jackson, Ferrand, and Gezon.

According to Wyoming’s Director of Community Services Rebecca Rynbrandt, the mill levy for the average Wyoming homeowner would be less than $12 a year.

For the past several years, the City of Wyoming has made facility improvements to the library which has included the revamping of the former library cafe into a public meeting space. “Over the course of the years, the city council has only actually levied that which is necessary to maintain the library,” Rynbrandt said, adding that as city officials looked ahead, they realized for the next 10 years, the library facility would not need any major renovations.

“So here we are not at the point where we can say we don’t need to make those significant investments in library maintenance in the next 10 years,” Rynbrandt said. “So we have a choice: can we ask the voters to recognize the maintenance needs in the park system and would they allow us the flexibility to use some of those library maintenance funds on park capital.”

The question before voters on May 2 is whether the city can use some of the library maintenance funds for park improvements.

This would not have any impact on the overall operation of the library which falls under the Kent District Library system. Operation, including materials, is covered through a KDL millage which is separate from the city’s library maintenance millage.

Two tornados and a flood within four years caused extensive damage at Ideal Park with the park losing many of its trees and playground equipment. Jackson Park also was impacted by the tornados but also has a need for better stormwater control along with improved security and safety. Ferrand Park is a small pocket park that has not have any major improvements in a number of years and Gezon Park is surrounded by intense residential growth with the central area of the park needing to be developed.

For more information about the proposal and the four parks, visit WYParks.com. The next meeting on the parks will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 29, at the Wyoming Public Library, 3350 Michael Ave. SW.