Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM STANKARD
Bessemer - Bessemer School District voters rejected a special five-year millage for new buses and telephone improvements Tuesday.
The millage failed 324-385.
The school district sought to borrow $290,000 to upgrade the phone system and purchase new school buses.
The proposed bonds in 2016 would result in a 22-mill levy, or 22 cents on each $1,000 of taxable valuation. The estimated average annual millage rate to retire teh bond debt would have been 1.04 mills,.
In a letter, superintendent David Radovich said one of the district's school busses has been "red-flagged," making it unusable.
Radovich said the school is required to upgrade the phone system by Dec. 31, 2016, or the district will be fined $5,000 per month.
Bessemer residents turned down the millage 239-298 and the Bessemer Township vote was closer at 85-87.