SUTTONS BAY — Leelanau County attorneys nixed a proposal to have voters decide an early childhood development millage.
The newly formed Leelanau Early Childhood Development Commission approached county officials last month about a 0.54-mill issue for the November ballot. Proponents said the tax could raise nearly $1.3 million of a $4 million plan to offer families child care tuition assistance, assess existing child care facilities, support parenting communities and other programs.
But a July 10 opinion from county attorneys Peter Cohl and David Stoker said the county doesn't have legal authority to seek such a millage.
"The proposed program appears to be essentially a comprehensive pre-school education program," they wrote. "However, the county does not have authority to run such an educational program, and thus would not be authorized to either levy a tax for that purpose or expend county tax dollars for that type of program."
Cohl and Stoker said a local or intermediate school district has "express statutory authority" to run pre-school programs, but counties can't collect taxes for such a purpose.
Ty Wessell, coordinator of the Leelanau County Family Coordinating Council and member of the childhood development commission's steering committee, said Tuesday he was aware of the opinion. But he declined comment until after county commissioners met to discuss the issue.
The childhood group wanted to use about $675,000 of the millage toward a $2.84 million Child Care Fund to provide families with tuition assistance through a sliding scale based on incomes. Supporters said successful early childhood development programs can reduce school drop-out rates and lessen the need for special education instruction for students.
County Commissioner Melinda Lautner said the proposal garnered some county board support. But it also raised numerous questions and complaints from the public, she said. Residents questioned whether county tax dollars would be used to support child care facilities outside Leelanau County, and whether day care centers associated with religious institutions would be included.
Lautner, whose family operates a farm in Solon Township, also challenged whether a property tax levy for child care was fair to farmers and other large landowners.
"I think way too many millages are placed on the ballot," Lautner said. "It's unfair to agriculture."
Region
Early childhood millage won't go before voters
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