2026 Library Millage
August 2026 Millage
This August, the Briggs District Library will be on your ballot with a millage ask. We want to make sure our community is adequately informed of the upcoming millage request. Below includes information on what a millage is, why Briggs District Library is making this request, what changes would occur with a passing vote, and what it means to the average taxpayer. The official ballot language can also be found below.
For any questions regarding the August millage request, please call us at 989-224-4702.
What is a millage?
A millage is a tax approved locally by popular vote. The mill rate is calculated as $1 for each $1,000 of a property’s taxable value. For a millage with a rate of 1 mill, a household with a taxable value of $100,000 would pay $1.00 for each $1,000 of taxable value, or $100 annually. In August of 2016, voters in our community approved a millage for library service at a rate of 0.75 mills.
“A millage is a tax on property, levied at the local, municipal level after being approved through a popular vote on a ballot initiative. The millage is the amount per $1,000 of the taxable value of property.”
What is a Headlee Rollback?
The Headlee Amendment is a law that protects tax payers from having their property taxes increase more than the rate of inflation. The way that Headlee affects millages is that if the State Evaluated Value (SEV) of a property increases faster than the rate of inflation, the property millage is lowered so that the same gross revenue is yielded.
Because of Headlee, Briggs District Library’s 2016 millage rate of 0.75 has been reduced to 0.7348. The library is asking to return the mill rate to the previously approved 0.75, which plans for the continued increase of costs while allowing us to maintain services.
Why is Briggs District Library on the Ballot?
Libraries in Michigan are funded through local property taxes. In 2016, voters in our community approved a 0.75 millage rate for 10 years to provide operational funds for Briggs District Library. The current millage ended in December of 2025. This millage covers approximately 80% of the library’s operational costs.
Library Services & Resources
Aside from its print and digital books, magazines, and movies, Briggs Library provides . . .
- Storytimes, scavenger hunts, art programs, cooking programs, and much more for kids and teens
- Book clubs, author visits, history programs, crafts, senior outreach, and many more programs for adults
- Meeting rooms for community use
- A Makerspace with 3D printers and other technology for the community to explore
- A growing This ‘n That Collection of mobile hotspots, tools, lawn games, cooking supplies, board games, and more
- Online resources including Hoopla, Libby, interlibrary loan
And so much more!
What Happens If . . .
The Millage Passes?
The Millage Fails?
With this millage, the Briggs District Library will continue providing collections, technology, and programs to the community.
Because this is an operational millage, in the event of a failure to pass the millage, Briggs District Library will lose over 80% of its operational budget (which will affect operations, services, and staff).
What the Millage Request Will Look Like on the Ballot
Shall the Briggs District Library, County of Clinton, State of Michigan, be authorized to levy a millage annually in an amount not to exceed .75 mill ($0.75 per each $1,000 of taxable value), of which .7348 mill is a renewal of the previously authorized millage rate that expired in 2025 and .0152 mill is new additional millage to restore the millage rate lost as a result of the Headlee Amendment millage reductions, against all taxable property within the Briggs District Library district for a period of ten (10) years, 2026 through 2035 inclusive, for the purpose of providing funds for all district library purposes authorized by law? The estimate of the revenue the Briggs District Library will collect in the first year of levy (2026) if the millage is approved and levied by the Library is approximately $716,000.
What Does a 10-Year Millage Mean to You?
A 10-year rate of 0.75, which will cost taxpayers $75.00 annually per $100,000 assessed taxable value. That comes out to approximately $6.25/month – less than some streaming services!
The millage will generate approximately $716,000 annually for the library.