By BOB OLIVER
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS — Voters have given their support to a millage renewal for the Westwood Community Schools.
The renewal is for 18 mills on non-homestead property for 20 years. Businesses, secondary residences, and industrial and commercial properties are affected by the renewal, not primary residences.
Between the represented precincts in Dearborn Heights and Inkster, 390 residents voted, with 218 of them approving the issue and 172 voting to deny it.
Four precincts in Dearborn Heights and six in Inkster were part of the election.
Westwood Supt. Sue Carnell said the district is thankful for the voters’ support.
“We are very grateful for the support of the residents in this election,” Carnell said. “We’re very happy and we will continue to use the funds to offer great programs to our students.”
Carnell said the 18 mills generate approximately $3 million for the district and that the money is vital to the district because about 65 percent of it goes directly to student instruction rather than administration costs.
“Because we don’t have a budget full of administration costs we can put more money into our classrooms,” Carnell said. “We put the money where it should go: into student education and security.”
Carnell also stressed that it is not an increase to tax payers.
“This is not a tax increase, just a renewal,” Carnell said. “The mills are not increasing so the amount of tax stays consistent.”
(Bob Oliver can be reached at [email protected].)