Benzie County voters will decide if Northwestern Michigan College can “annex” that county by levying a millage there. 

The NMC board on Monday evening officially approved a proposal to add Benzie County to the NMC district, something the college has been exploring since last year. College officials say the move would greatly expand educational access in Benzie County by allowing residents to get in-district rates.

While students from around the region attend NMC, only Grand Traverse County residents currently get in-district rates. That’s because Grand Traverse County is the only county with a millage to support college operations. For the majority of courses, the in-district rate is less than half the out-of-district rate.

Benzie County residents will now vote in November on their own millage (2.057 mills, the same amount levied in Grand Traverse County) that would bring Benzie into the district and give county residents an in-district rate. One mill is equivalent to $1 for each $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.

Over the last several months, NMC president Nick Nissley attended about 30 listening sessions throughout Benzie County regarding the proposed annexation. He tells The Ticker that it’s clear that people in Benzie deeply value NMC, but acknowledged that many are concerned about a tax increase.

“The question that they left us with is: Will this be worth it?” he says. “That’s the question we will need to answer for Benzie.”

Several Benzie residents and others who attended Monday’s meeting spoke in support or opposition, with some saying it will “transform lives and enrich Benzie County” and others calling it a “terrible value proposition” that’s “sure to be defeated.”

Proposed ballot language approved by the board indicates the millage will generate about $3.5 million for college operations in its first year.

The process began last year when two citizen groups – Advocates for Benzie Couty and BEST Benzie County (Building Educational Success and Training) – asked NMC to add Benzie to its district. NMC trustees, who unanimously approved the annexation proposal, made that point clear at Monday’s meeting.

“We were invited to consider this, and that’s a really important point,” NMC Board Chair Laura Oblinger said.

The invite is also just the latest in discussions that have been going on for quite some time, trustees said.

“I'd just like to point out that this idea coming from Benzie County is not new – we’ve been getting inquiries as far back as eight to 10 years ago,” Trustee Kennard Weaver said. “So this has been building, and as we see it build, we think the time is right.”

Nissley and the citizen groups point to a large group of people in the county who stand to benefit from the annexation. At least 6,500 people in the county lack any training or education beyond high school, they say.

In addition to several associate degrees and a few bachelor's degrees, NMC offers a host of training and continuing education programs that could benefit Benzie County residents.

Critics contend it’s just not a good move in a county where many people already struggle to pay bills. They’re also concerned that there is no term attached to the millage levy, so the college could continue to pull in money from Benzie residents every year regardless of the quality of services or value they are providing.

Matt Therrien is an Almira Township trustee and owner of the popular Lake Ann Brewing. He’s concerned the college is only floating the annexation in an effort to generate more revenue, and he feels the county as a whole “won’t be getting the money they put in back” if voters approve the move.

“I’ve always been super supportive of NMC and community college, and my first reaction upon hearing this was thinking it might be kind of nice,” he tells The Ticker. “But it didn’t take me very long to dig into the details and realize this is a massive tax increase.”

But there are plenty of supporters. Benzie resident Monica Evans, who spoke to the board, says everyone benefits from the move, even if they don't go to college themselves. 

“Am I crazy about paying more taxes? No," she said. "But here's the thing, I believe with every fiber in my being that when we give people the opportunity to better themselves, the entire county benefits."