By Gari Voss
Calling all resident who live in the cities of Douglas, Fennville, Holland Wards 4/9 and 5/11, Saugatuck, South Haven, and Wayland. Also needed are residents of Casco, Fillmore, Gun Plain, Hopkins, Leighton, Overisel, Salem and Wayland Townships. Tuesday, November 4, 2025, is election day affecting these municipalities across Allegan County and a bit beyond. These elections can be easily overlooked, but all residents in the identified municipalities are affected by the results.
The complete wording of the ballot proposals can be located at https://www.allegancounty.org/departments/elections.
Candidates
Beginning with the candidates who will serve as council members or mayors.
Village of Douglas
Three council members will be elected for 2-year terms. Candidates are Cathy North, Matt Balmer and Jeff West
City of Fennville
Three commissioners will be elected for 4-year terms. Candidates are Dan Rastall, David Lopez, Jr., and Seth Boeve.
City of Holland
One mayor will be elected for a 2-year term. Candidates are Nathan Bocks and Brian Everitt.
One Ward 5 council member will be elected. The candidate is Scott Corbin.
One council member at-large will be elected for one year. Candidates are Quincy Byrd and Abby Klomparens.
City of Saugatuck
Three council members will be elected for 2-year terms. The candidates are Holly Anderson, Joseph Clark, Russ Gardner, John Mayer, and Sherry Tedaldi.
City of South Haven
One mayor will be elected for a 2-year term. The candidates are Annie Brown and Mary Hosley
One Ward 3 council member will be elected for a 4-year term. The candidate is Dave Flack.
City of Wayland
Three council members will be elected for 2-year terms. The candidates are Megan Mickelson, Steven Stepek, Abe Garcia, and Aubrey Chubb.
Township Proposals
Proposals for townships and schools become a bit more intricate. The township renewals indicate specific purposes. Lake Michigan is asking for two renewals. Each renewal has a defined purpose. These are primarily requests to recoup Headlee Amendment rollbacks.
Fillmore Township
FIRE AND FIRST RESPONSE PROTECTION RENEWAL MILLAGE PROPOSITION
Fillmore Township, Allegan County, Michigan, wishes to recoup tax dollars lost to Headley reduction and provide funds for fire and first response protection service. The original millage has been reduced by the required rollback to 1.8157 mills. The request is to reestablish the original 2.0 mills for five years, 2026 through 2030. The estimated revenue the Township will collect if the millage is approved and levied in the 2026 calendar year is approximately $392,000.00.
LIBRARY MILLAGE PROPOSITION
Fillmore Township would also like to increase the general ad valorem taxes within Fillmore Township, Allegan County, Michigan, by .35 mill for four years, 2025 through 2028. This increase will provide funds for the operation of the Herrick District Library. The estimated revenue the Township will collect if the millage is approved and levied in the 2026 calendar year is approximately $68,000.00. If the millage is approved, the proceeds would be paid to the Herrick District Library by the Township pursuant to a contract granting library privileges to Township residents.
WATER/SEWER RENEWAL MILLAGE PROPOSITION
Fillmore Township would like to recoup the Headlee rollback and reestablish the 0.5. mill for four (4) years, 2025 through 2028, inclusive, for the purpose of providing funds for the acquisition, construction, and installation of public water and sewer system improvements, including, but without limitation, water wells, water storage tanks, and water and sewer lines. If the increase in millage is approved, an estimated $98,000.00 will be raised during the first year.
Hopkins Township
PROPOSAL TO APPROVE EXTRA-VOTED ROAD IMPROVEMENT MILLAGE
Hopkins Township wishes an increase of up to 1 mill in the tax limitation and levy it for four (4) years, 2025 through 2028, inclusive, on all taxable real and personal property in the Township for the purpose of local road repairs, upgrades, construction, improvement, dust control, and maintenance purposes. The 1 mill increase will raise an estimated $125,406.66 in the first year the millage is levied.
City Proposals
City of Holland
CITY OF HOLLAND HEADLEE OVERRIDE MILLAGE BALLOT PROPOSITION
The City of Holland established 17.5 mills was reduced to 14.4480 mills by the required millage rollbacks. The request is to increase the mills in an amount not to exceed 3.052 to restore the full amount of the original rate for each year in perpetuity, as a new additional millage for general operating purposes. The estimated additional Ad Valorem tax revenue that the City will collect if the maximum millage is authorized and levied in the 2026 is approximately $5,221,585.
School Proposals
Lake Michigan College
LAKE MICHIGAN COLLEGE CHARTER MILLAGE RENEWAL PROPOSITION FOR OPERATING AND GENERAL PURPOSES
This proposition is to renew a charter millage for community college operating and general purposes which will expire with the 2026 tax levy. The previously voted charter tax rate limitation on the amount of taxes imposed upon all taxable property within the community college district boundaries of Lake Michigan College, Michigan would be renewed in the amount of .6655 mill for a period of twenty (20) years, 2027 through 2046. The renewal would provide funds to be used for operating purposes and for all purposes authorized by law. If approved, the estimated revenue the millage would raise in 2027 is approximately $8,900,000.
LAKE MICHIGAN COLLEGE CHARTER MILLAGE RENEWAL AND REDUCTION PROPOSITION FOR CAPITAL PURPOSES
This proposition is to renew and reduce a charter millage for community college capital purposes that will expire with the 2026 levy. The previously voted charter tax rate limitation on the amount of taxes imposed upon all taxable property within the community college district boundaries of Lake Michigan College, Michigan would be renewed and reduced to the amount of 0.24 mill for a period of ten (10) years, 2027 to 2036, inclusive, for the purpose of safety and security improvements, energy efficiency upgrades, renovation of instructional spaces, instructional technology upgrades, and other capital improvements. If approved, the estimated revenue the millage would raise in 2027 is approximately $3,200,000.
Zeeland Public Schools
ZEELAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOND PROPOSAL
This bond proposal will not affect the current school millage amount. The Zeeland Public Schools, which services Ottawa and Allegan Counties, Michigan, would like to borrow the sum not to exceed One Hundred Eighty-Six Million Dollars ($186,000,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds for the purpose of: erecting, remodeling, and equipping and re-equipping school buildings, facilities, and additions to school buildings and facilities; furnishing and refurnishing school buildings and facilities; purchasing school buses; acquiring, installing, equipping and re-equipping school buildings for instructional technology; and acquiring, preparing, developing, improving and equipping athletic fields, play fields, playgrounds, structures, facilities and sites.
The estimated millage that will be levied for the proposed bonds in 2027 is 2.81 mills for a 0.00 mill net increase over the prior year’s levy. The maximum number of years the bonds of any series may be outstanding is twenty-one (21) years. The estimated simple average annual millage anticipated to be required to retire this bond debt is 3.90 mills ($3.90 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation).
