Millage Restore Vote

Voters in the Capital Area District Libraries service area will vote on the millage during the August 2, 2022 election.

CADL has operated under the same millage rate of 1.56 mills since 2006. The current millage expired on December 31, 2021. Due to a Headlee Amendment rollback (see Headlee Override below) in 2020 our millage rate was reduced to 1.5567 mills and in 2021 our millage rate was reduced further to 1.5528 mills. This millage vote restores our rate back to 1.56 mills by renewing the current rate of 1.5528 mills along with a new additional rate of 0.0072 mills. 

The Headlee Amendment rollback and Proposal A protected property owners from increases in property taxes and rolled back tax rates, however, the rollbacks and limits produce downward pressure on millage rates. This can have a significant effect on local government bodies, including public libraries. In order for those entities to recover the millage lost through the rollbacks, they must ask for voter approval of a “Headlee Override”. By doing so, they are asking voters to approve a millage rate increase, but that rate will be no higher than the original rate approved by voters before the rollbacks took effect.

Read more at MSU Extension: What is Headlee Override.

Almost 90% of our funding comes from our operating millage, which expired on December 31, 2021. The millage funds library services including books, movies and music in multiple formats, internet access, expert staff, educational resources for over 20,000 area students, and programming for all ages. 

If the millage does not pass, many library services will be eliminated, and branches may have to close.

The average taxable value of a home in Ingham County is $65,882* (home valued at $131,764), so the cost of 1.56 mills would be $102.78 per year. This is only a 47¢ per year increase from the current reduced millage rate of 1.5528 mills.

*Source: 2022 Ingham County Equalization Report, p.19

Calculate your own rate of return on your tax investment using our Library Value Calculator.

Shall the Capital Area District Library tax, which expired December 2021, of 1.56 mills ($1.56 per $1,000 of taxable value) on all taxable property within the limits of the District, which has been reduced to 1.5528 mills ($1.55 per $1,000 of taxable value) by the required millage rollbacks, be renewed and increased back to 1.56 mills ($1.56 per $1,000 of taxable value) and levied for 4 years, 2022 through 2025 inclusive? Based upon Capital Area District Library’s budget forecast, the rolled-back millage rate will be insufficient to meet anticipated library needs. In order to remedy this deficiency, Capital Area District Library wishes to increase the tax by an additional 0.0072 mills. If the millage passes, the millage will generate an estimated $12,450,000 during the first calendar year.

If the millage passes, a small portion of the revenue will, as required by law, be disbursed to the Downtown Development Authorities of Delhi and Lansing Townships; as well as the Brownfield Redevelopment Authorities of Ingham County, the City of Lansing, and Delhi Township; and the Ingham County Land Bank.