Jackson recreation millage returns to ballot this August

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Soccer, basketball, exercise classes, pickleball, senior luncheons, jobs for high school and college students–these are a few of the events whose future will be at stake in the Aug. 6 primary election in Jackson.

Voters in the Jackson school district have passed the recreation millage every 10 years since 1960. On Tuesday, Aug. 6, they will vote on whether to pass it once again.

Right now, the millage funds free and reduced-cost recreation programs for children under 18, as well as adults over 50. The recreation funding also employs high school and college-age students as the staff for the recreation programs.

Here’s how it works: the district collects the millage funds and turns them over to the Jackson Parks and Recreation Department, which is in charge of the programming.

Voters last approved the recreation millage in 2014, at .50 mills. This year, Jackson and JPS are asking to increase that to .75 mills.

Officials said the reason for the intended increase is to meet the rising costs of supplies and a fair wage for staff.

Millage charges work on the basis of property value, and a “mill” is considered one-thousandth of a dollar.

So, at .75 mills, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $75 per year to support the recreation programs. That would be an increase of $25 per year over the former rate of .50 mills.

The millage will appear on the ballots this Aug. 6 as a Jackson Public Schools recreation millage proposal. You can find the official ballot language here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.