The 2023 general election will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, November 7 with polls opening at 7 a.m. and closing at 8 p.m. Locally, Three Rivers voters will decide three contested city commission races, while folks in Constantine, and those living in either the Burr Oak or Bronson Community Schools district will have proposals to consider.

St. Joseph County Polling Locations

Burr Oak — Township Hall at 208 Front St.

Colon Township — Township Hall, 132 N. Blackstone Ave.

Constantine Township — Township Hall, 165 Canaris St.

Sherman Township — Township Hall,  64962 Balk Rd.

Three Rivers — Riverside Church, 207 E. Michigan Ave.

A look at the Three Rivers ballot

• Longtime incumbent Tom Lowry is facing challenger Vernis Mims Jr. for Three Rivers mayor.
  
  Lowry (342 votes) bested Mims (217) and Natelege Zaritz (86) during the August primary election garnering 52.86 percent of the 651 votes cast. Just 13.64 percent of the city’s 4,773 registered voters cast ballots, with the mayoral race serving as the lone item on August’s city ballot. A much larger turnout is expected in Tuesday’s general election with four city commission positions on the ballot, three of which are contested.

• Torrey Brown, who is running for reelection for the first time after winning as a write-in candidate in 2021, is facing challenger Jason Reeves for one of the city’s two at-large commission seats. Note: Reeves did not respond to our request to fill out a candidate questionnaire.
• First District Commissioner Pat Dane is facing challenger John Kish, who has served as the city’s planning and zoning commission chairperson for seven years. Note: Dane did respond to our request to fill out a candidate questionnaire but ultimately did not submit one.
• Third District Commissioner Chris Abel is running unopposed.

Local proposals

Bronson Community Schools Proposal 

Sinking Fund Millage Renewal Proposal
This proposal will allow the school district to continue to levy the building and site sinking fund millage that expires with the 2023 tax levy. 

Shall the currently authorized millage rate of 1.9766 mills ($1.9766 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) which may be assessed against all property in Bronson Community School District, Branch and St. Joseph Counties, Michigan, be renewed for a period of 5 years, 2024 to 2028, inclusive, to continue to provide for a sinking fund for the construction or repair of school buildings; for school security improvements; for the acquisition or upgrading of technology; and all other purposes authorized by law; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2024 is approximately $460,000 (this is a renewal of millage that will expire with the 2023 tax levy)? 

Burr Oak Community Schools Proposal 

Sinking Fund Millage Renewal Proposal 
Shall the currently authorized millage rate of 2.9712 mills ($2.9712 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) which may be assessed against all property in Burr Oak Community Schools, St. Joseph County, Michigan, be renewed for a period of 5 years, 2025 to 2029, inclusive, to continue to provide for a sinking fund for the purchase of real estate for sites for, and the construction or repair of, school buildings, for school security improvements, for the acquisition or upgrading of technology and all other purposes authorized by law; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2025 is approximately $162,639 (this is a renewal of millage that will expire with the 2024 tax levy)? 

Constantine Township Proposals 

Proposal To Approve Road Improvement Millage
Shall Constantine Township impose an increase of up to 0.50 mills ($0.50 per $1,000 of taxable value) in the tax limitation imposed under Article IX, Sec. 6 of the Michigan Constitution and levy it for five (5) years, 2023 through 2027, inclusive, on all taxable real and personal property in the Township, including the Village of Constantine, for disbursement to Constantine Township for the purpose of local road repairs, upgrades, construction, improvement and maintenance purposes, which 0.50 mill increase will raise an estimated $63,888 in the first year the millage is levied? 

Fire Protection And Ambulance Services Special Assessment District 
Shall Constantine Township have the authority to raise money by special assessment for the provision of Township-wide fire protection and ambulance services pursuant to the provisions of PA 33 of 1951, as amended? 

Alek Haak-Frost is executive editor and publisher of Watershed Voice.