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1. Purpose. The Otsego County Board of Commissioners is, by law, responsible for determining whether a countywide property tax millage will be placed on the ballot for consideration by the voters of Otsego County. To assist in its review and consideration of such requests, the Otsego County Board of Commissioners has adopted this “Millage Request Policy”. Persons or entities, other than the County Board of Commissioners, seeking to have a new county-wide property tax millage placed on the ballot by the Board are expected to comply with its terms. 2. Authority. The Board of Commissioners may establish such rules and regulations regarding the business concerns of the County as the Board considers necessary and proper. See: MCL 46.11(m); 46.71, Act 156 of the Public Acts of 1851, as amended. 3. Application. This policy applies to any agency not currently receiving a property tax millage. 4. Procedure. A. At a minimum, county-wide property tax millage requests must include, in writing: 1. The name, address, and telephone number(s) of the entity, person, or persons seeking the county-wide property tax millage. 2. The amount of mills sought, the proposed duration of the millage, and a calculation stating and clearly explaining the amount of tax dollars anticipated to be generated in the first year the millage is to be in effect. 3. A written narrative description of the purpose, project, or projects for which the millage is sought. The narrative should explain why it is necessary to adopt a county-wide property tax millage to accomplish the purpose, explain what alternative efforts have been made to obtain funding, and state why it is necessary to fund the purpose through the mechanism of a county-wide property tax millage. 4. A statement of how anticipated revenues from the millage will be spent in each year it is in effect. 5. A statement as to how funding for the project is to be accomplished (if at all) at the conclusion of the duration of the requested millage. 6. The date upon which the vote is sought must be supplied. In the general course, a county-wide property tax millage request, in the form set forth herein, must be submitted to the Otsego County Board of Commissioners not less than ninety (90) days prior to the date for the final determination of a ballot language. County Credit Card Millage Request Policy ---PAGE BREAK--- 7. Legal authority for a county-wide millage for the purpose stated herein. 8. Copy of the requesting agencies budget for both the current year and the previous year. 9. Copy of the latest audit for the requesting agency. 10. Any letters, petitions, and/or resolutions supporting the proposed millage. 11. Any other information the proponents of the county-wide property tax millage believe is important for the Board of Commissioners to consider in evaluating the request. B. Millage requests under this policy should be submitted in one original form to the County Administrator. C. Following receipt of the written materials required herein, the Otsego County Board of Commissioners shall, as part of a regularly scheduled meeting, notice and hold at least one public hearing on the millage vote request. D. As part of its consideration of such a request, the Otsego County Board of Commissioners may: 1. At a regularly scheduled meeting following the date of the public hearing, adopt ballot language to place the county-wide property tax millage on the ballot and schedule an election therefore. The cost of any special election to be borne by the requesting agency. 2. Takes such other action as it deems appropriate. E. Prior to any funds that are received through an approved extra voted millage being transferred to a requesting agency who have general ledger/accounting systems or employees outside of the County government, an agreement prepared by the County must be approved by both agencies as to related responsibilities. Adopted: August 27, 2013 Last Updated: September 24, 2015