In Plain English: May 5th Special Election Ballot Language

Do you have a special election on May 5th? What to know about the ballot proposals on the May 5th Special Election ballot

A small number of Washtenaw County voters have a special election approaching on May 5th, 2026 when Ingham Intermediate School District, Grass Lake Community Schools, and Columbia School District will ask voters to approve bonds for various capital projects.

Bond money is different from other kinds of school funding in that it is used only for large capital improvements or expenditures and can’t be used for regular maintenance or operational expenses. It is usually time limited and it must be publicly audited.

Generally, school districts ask for bond money in one of two ways. Some school districts ask for bond money for specific projects and once the project(s) is complete and the debt has been repaid, the bond rate reverts back to 0.0 mills. 

Other school districts may prefer to keep a steady bond rate that funds a series of major projects planned over a specific time period, but usually never reverts back to 0.0. This allows for a more predictable tax rate and prevents any one construction project from causing a large tax increase.

Ingham County Intermediate School District
An Ingham County Intermediate School District bond request will show up for some Stockbridge area voters, asking them to approve a new school bond worth over $99 million. The funds will be used to construct a new special education facility to replace Beekman Center and provide significant improvements to Heartwood School, according to the district’s website. 

The ballot language specifies, “The estimated millage that will be levied for the proposed bonds in 2026 is 0.55 mill ($0.55 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation). The maximum number of years the bonds may be outstanding, exclusive of any refunding, is twenty (20) years. The estimated simple average annual millage anticipated to be required to retire this bond debt is 0.45 mill ($0.45 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation).”

According to the county’s equalization office, the median taxable value of a parcel of property in Ingham County Intermediate School District is about $77,000. In that case, if the proposal passes, the property owner would owe about $42 per year to cover this bond initially, with that amount expected to decrease in later years, and would be collected for no more than twenty years.

Grass Lake Community Schools
The Grass Lake Community Schools district is asking their voters to approve a bond worth just under $42 million, “for the purpose of partially remodeling, furnishing and refurnishing, and equipping and re-equipping the elementary school, middle school, and high school buildings; erecting, furnishing, and equipping additions to the middle school building; acquiring and installing instructional technology and instructional technology equipment for the school buildings; erecting, furnishing, and equipping an indoor athletic facility structure; and preparing, developing, equipping, and improving a playground and sites.” 

Though the language about the mill rate is complicated, essentially it means if the measure passes, the future construction projects are planned and timed such that the new tax will be equal to the amount property owners are paying now, resulting in a net zero increase over previous years’ tax bills.

If the measure does not pass, the tax rate will begin to decrease at some point until the existing bond is paid off.

Columbia School District
Voters in the Columbia School District are being asked to fund a bond worth just under $15 million, “for the purpose of erecting, furnishing and equipping additions to school buildings; remodeling, including security improvements to, furnishing and refurnishing, and equipping and re-equipping existing school buildings; acquiring and installing instructional technology and instructional technology equipment for school buildings; and equipping, developing and improving playgrounds, athletic fields and facilities, parking areas, and sites.”

This proposal states that the mill rate for the new bond in 2026 is .55 mill, which is a net zero increase over the current rate.  However, it is expected to increase in future years so that the average rate over the twenty-one year term of the bond is estimated to be .84 mill. 

The reason for the planned rate fluctuation is because the school district would execute the bond in stages. Rather than borrow the full amount approved, the district will only borrow enough money to cover current projects and the mill rate will reflect a repayment of just that amount. When ready to start a new project or set of projects, they’ll borrow a second amount, and the mill rate will change accordingly. 

Borrowing and using the funds in smaller chunks allows the school district to minimize its financial risk by keeping its debt load as low as possible and borrowing amounts calculated with current interest rates and material costs.