Resident warns millage fatigue could imperil proposed Barry County jail levy

A Prayefel Township resident told the Barry County Board of Commissioners on an open-comment agenda item that multiple elections and repeated millage requests are making voters less likely to approve another levy, including a proposed jail millage expected this year.

During public comment, Ted DeVries, a Prayefel Township resident, said the county may face “another election in this year in November for the Barry County ISD” and called attention to several local millage votes already on residents’ ballots. “As you continue to throw assessments and millages at all the residents in our county, it's gonna be harder and harder for people to say, boy, I really wanna get behind a jail millage,” DeVries said.

DeVries said a limited survey of voters suggested smaller requests might be more acceptable than larger ones: “If they get what they're probably gonna ask for, maybe it's 1 mil. It didn't sound like the 2 and 3 mil was was really excited as far as the limited survey they did.” He also said many townships will be asking to renew levies for roads, fire or police services.

DeVries noted the administrative burden of multiple elections on county staff, mentioning “Sarah” by first name and saying it was “tough on Sarah, running this many elections.” He also cited a close vote in the Dalton School District’s bond extension as evidence of voters’ hesitancy on additional millages.

The remarks were offered during the public-comment portion of the meeting and did not include a motion or formal board response recorded in the transcript. No formal action or vote on a jail millage is recorded in the meeting transcript.