BELLAIRE — In February, the Antrim County Board of Commissioners published a notice of intent to issue bonds in an amount not to exceed $25 million to pay the majority of costs for a new Public Safety Center.
According to an April 1 news release, the Center would include a jail, emergency management center, 911 dispatch center, and county sheriff department administrative facilities. These bonds would not have resulted in any new taxes.
The board also voted for a bond length of up to 25 years. This length was chosen to allow the County to fund the bond payments without increased taxes and reduced services. The notice to taxpayers stated that if 10% of the County’s registered electors signed a petition, the bonds could not be issued without approval by a public vote.
On March 27, the county clerk’s office received petitions and a letter from the Antrim Citizens for Common Sense. The letter indicated more than 2,800 signatures had been collected. This number exceeds the 10% statutory threshold of registered electors in Antrim required to mandate a public vote for the issuance of the bonds. The signatures must be verified by the County Clerk before the petition can be considered valid.
If the petition is validated, issuing up to $25 million in bonds for a Public Safety Center cannot proceed without approval from the voters.
An approving public vote would allow the county to issue bonds for the construction of the Public Safety Center; no new taxes would be imposed on Antrim County taxpayers.
For more information, please contact the Antrim County Administration Office at 231-533-6265.