Hancock voters decide recreation and library millages Tuesday, plus a countywide special education levy

HANCOCK — Voters in Hancock will decide three property tax questions on Tuesday, Nov. 3: a renewal of the city’s recreation millage, a brand-new levy for the Hancock Area District Library, and a countywide special education millage for the Copper Country Intermediate School District.

The ballot language is posted by the Houghton County Clerk. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. City of Hancock precincts 1, 2 and 3 vote at Lakeview Manor, according to the county’s notice of election. Hancock Township voters cast ballots at the township office and fire hall.

Parks and recreation renewal

The city question asks voters to renew 0.8 mill, or 80 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, for five years, 2027 through 2031. The city estimates it would raise $128,664 in the first year. The millage was first approved in 2016 and renewed in 2021, so this is its second renewal.

City Manager Mary Babcock told the Daily Mining Gazette that without the levy, park money would have to come from the general fund, which also pays for police. “The city would definitely stand to lose the capability to keep our parks up,” she said. The city maintains about 13 parks and recreation sites, including Driving Park, Lauren Grove, Porvoo Park, the ice rink, the Maasto Hiihto trails and the Hancock Beach & Campground. Public Works Director John Erickson pointed the paper to new dugouts at Driving Park as recent work.

Babcock told TV6 that past millage money has gone to projects including the recreation pier at the beach, pickleball courts and a dog park, and that plans include an accessible camping cabin and new playground equipment.

A new library levy

The second question asks for a new, additional 0.7 mill for five years, 2026 through 2030, to run the Hancock Area District Library. The ballot estimates about $200,000 in the first year. It goes to voters in the City of Hancock and in Hancock, Franklin and Quincy townships. As required by law, the ballot notes that a portion may be captured by the city’s brownfield redevelopment authority.

The district library was formed Aug. 7 by the city and Hancock Public Schools. The Portage Lake District Library has managed the Hancock library under contract for eight years. According to a library FAQ, if the millage fails, the library would revert to a school public library without a librarian, evening, weekend or summer hours, or a book budget.

Board President Carolyn Dekker told WNMU the median taxable value in the city is about $55,000, which works out to roughly $38 a year.

Countywide special education

All Houghton County voters will also see a Copper Country ISD question asking for 0.2903 mill for 20 years, 2027 through 2046, to replace an expiring special education levy. It is estimated to raise $601,033 in the first year.

By The Mitten Daily’s math, a Hancock home at that $55,000 median taxable value would pay about $44 a year for recreation, $38.50 for the library and about $16 for special education if all three pass. The recreation and special education levies replace existing taxes; the library levy is new. Houghton County voters also face a $28 million jail bond on the same ballot.

Sources:
Houghton County Clerk, City of Hancock ballot proposal, https://www.houghtoncounty.net/docs/ballot_city_hancock_2026.pdf
Houghton County Clerk, Hancock Area District Library ballot proposal, https://www.houghtoncounty.net/docs/ballot_hancock_library_2026.pdf
Houghton County Clerk, Copper Country ISD ballot proposal, https://www.houghtoncounty.net/docs/ballot_ccisd_2026.pdf
Houghton County, Nov. 3, 2026 notice of election (polling places), https://www.houghtoncounty.net/docs/11_3_2026_notice_election.pdf
Daily Mining Gazette, “Up for renewal,” Oct. 2026 (Babcock, Erickson quotes, parks list), https://www.mininggazette.com/news/local-news/2026/10/up-for-renewal/
TV6/WLUC, Oct. 30, 2026 (projects, Babcock), https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2026/10/30/hancock-city-voters-decide-recreation-millages-renewal/
Hancock Area District Library millage FAQ, Sept. 2026, https://pldl.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HADL-Millage-FAQ-9.14.pdf
WNMU, Oct. 9, 2026 (Dekker, median taxable value), https://www.wnmufm.org/elections/2026-10-09/operations-millage-on-november-ballot-for-hancock-area-district-library
Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quincy_Street_Hancock_Michigan_2020-1438.jpg

Houghton · Election 2026 coverage

Tags: Houghton · Hancock · Election 2026 · Millage · Hancock Area District Library · Copper Country ISD