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July 20, 2012

Ski area millage killed

Time limits keep proposal off this November's ballot

By Vanessa McCray vmccray@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — A too-tight timeline will kill a proposed millage to fund Hickory Hills Ski Area — at least for now.

City Commissioner Mary Ann Moore and Mayor Michael Estes wanted a joint Traverse City and Garfield Township recreational authority to consider asking voters in November to fund operations at the city-owned ski hill. The authority board met this week and learned it didn't have enough time to place a request on the November ballot.

Attorney Karrie Zeits said authority rules require a specific number of days and steps before it can put a funding request on city and township ballots, and it's too late for November's election. The type of millage requested also can only appear during a statewide general or primary election, meaning 2014 is the city's next chance to seek ski hill funding through a recreational authority millage.

"The general consensus or feeling of the recreational authority was that this is something we could potentially consider in 2014," said authority Chairman Ross Biederman.

City commissioners want to find other sources to support the ski hill, located in Garfield Township next to the Hickory Meadows site purchased by the authority. Commissioners agreed to keep the ski hill in this year's general fund budget but want to reduce its financial commitment in upcoming years.

An authority millage proposal could be pursued at some point in the future, Estes said, "but for the next two years it's off the table." The city commission needs to address ski hill funding in the meantime. Estes wants those talks to begin in the next couple of months, well before next year's budget debates.

The commission could reduce ski hill funding, raise ski rates or look for alternative funds, he said.

"We have to have some consensus as to where we are going with this issue. This cannot be resolved at budget time because that's totally irresponsible," Estes said.

The recreational authority currently is developing the Historic Barns Park and wants to keep focused on that project, Biederman said. The group could consider the ski hill funding request later, "assuming we've completed our work," he said.

Matthew Cowall, the authority's executive director, said the board expressed interest in surveying the community "for other needs" and to make sure Hickory Hills "ranked on that list" before proceeding with a future millage request. Other park projects could be packaged with a potential ski hill funding proposal, he said.

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