Dexter school district voters to decide Multigenerational Activity Millage

Decision time comes on Tuesday, August 2, as voters in the Dexter Community School district will either approve or deny a 1.0 mill, 20-year, recreation millage.

In lead up to decision day, the Dexter Community Schools Board of Education at their July 18 meeting approved the first reading of a policy to establish a Multigenerational Activity Millage Committee.

One part of the policy states: “The Multigenerational Activity Millage Committee shall be comprised of at least nine and not more than sixteen representatives from the District and from various stakeholders in the District community. All members shall be formally appointed by the Board of Education prior to serving on the Committee.”

The school district also held a community forum on July 20 about the proposed millage.

As a catch up for anyone still a bit unclear about the millage question, here are some basics.

School district officials say this Multigenerational Activity Millage creates a funding mechanism to support multigenerational activities for anyone in the Dexter community.

At the forum, one presentation slide asked the question: Why is DCS asking for a Multigenerational Activity Millage?

The answer:

“DCS is the only legal entity with the authority to operate a system of public recreation and playgrounds encompassing the entire 84+ square mile boundary of DCS. The Recreation System will be a community recreation program serving multi-generational recreation interests in the Dexter Community. Formal planning and oversight for the Recreation System and funding for the twenty-year period is essential for DCS to plan and respond to the recreation interests of all generations in the Dexter Community. If voters approve the proposed recreation millage on the August 2, 2022 ballot, the DCS Board of Education will establish a Multigenerational Activity Millage Advisory Committee to create short and long term multi-generational recreation plans for the entire Dexter Community. Composition of the Multigenerational Activity Millage Advisory Committee will be outlined in board policies with composition of the committee representing multi-generations and recreational interests of the entire Dexter Community. The Multigenerational Activity Millage Activity Committee will have authority to create annual budgets to reflect the short-term and long-term Multigenerational Activity needs of the community over the 20-year millage.”

If approved, it would fund three core priorities:

• Approximately 25% will provide for Stable Funding for Dexter Senior Activities and location in a DCS facility.
• Approximately 25% will provide for construction and operations of a future Dexter Community Center open to the Dexter Community during the day and in the evening.
• Approximately 50% will provide for Youth & Adult Recreation Activities including Fine Arts (Art, Music, Theater, etc.), Youth & Adult Sports, and Enrichment Activities (robotics, indoor and outdoor activities, etc.) for members of all ages in the Dexter Community.

These are just some of the basics. There is much more information about the proposed millage at: https://www.dexterschools.org/district/board-of-education.