By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
Voters approved millage requests in Crestwood and Westwood school districts, while voters in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights favored Sen. Bernie Sanders over former Vice President Joe Biden in the Michigan presidential primary election March 10.
Statewide, Biden received 52.9 percent of the vote in the Democratic Party primary while Sanders received 36.4 percent. President Donald Trump received 94.7 percent in the Republican side.
Local voters also trended with Wayne County voters in favoring the Art Institute Authority Millage.
The Crestwood School District Operating Millage proposal passed 3,552 to 2,467. The non-homestead millage proposal — on the ballot for the third time after voters rejected it last August and November — will raise $40,000 for the district.
According to the ballot language, the proposal would allow “the school district to levy the statutory rate of not to exceed 18 mills on all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law, required for the school district to receive its revenue per pupil foundation allowance.”
The Westwood Community Schools District Sinking Fund millage request passed 1,810 to 944, with Dearborn Heights voters in the district voting 752-517 in favor of it. The millage will levy 3.0 mills over a 10-year period to generate approximately $7.8 million.
The district hasn’t had a sinking fund since 2007. The fund would be created for construction or repairs of school buildings, school security improvements, acquisition or upgrading of technology and all other renovations throughout the district authorized by law.
In the presidential primary, Dearborn voters cast 11,873 votes for Sanders and 5,963 votes for Biden, while in Dearborn Heights Sanders received 5,549 votes and Biden received 3,130 votes.
Trump received 2,255 votes and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld received 9 votes in Dearborn Heights. In Dearborn, voters cast 2,875 ballots for Trump and 33 for Weld.
For the DIA millage renewal, Dearborn voters cast 14,928 votes for, and 5,698 against. Heights voters approved the millage 7,872 to 3,472. County wide, the measure passed 289,139 to 92,832.
The 0.2 mill on all taxable property located within the county from 2022 to 2031 will continue. The cost for a home worth $150,000 equals $15 a year. The millage — approved by Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties — will generate approximately $8.5 million in 2022 to provide residents with services from the DIA through the authority.
To see the unofficial primary election results from each city go to www.cityofdearborn.org or www.ci.dearborn-heights.mi.us.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected])