Petoskey voting guide for Nov. 3: early voting starts Oct. 24, and North Central Michigan College asks to renew and restore its millage

PETOSKEY, Mich. — Petoskey voters can start casting ballots in person Saturday, Oct. 24, ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, and one of the local questions asks voters to keep North Central Michigan College’s property tax at its full authorized rate.

The college millage. North Central, the community college in Petoskey, is asking voters to approve a 0.9946-mill levy through 2036, according to the college. Of that, 0.9141 mill renews the millage voters approved in 2016, and 0.0805 mill restores authority lost to Headlee Amendment rollbacks. The college says the restored portion would cost at most $8.05 a year for a home with $100,000 of taxable value, about 67 cents a month, and at most $18.11 for a home with $225,000 of taxable value.

The college says the millage supports current operations, programs, workforce training and student services, and that without it, it would lose about 20% of its operating revenue.

Early voting. Early in-person voting for Petoskey runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, at VFW Post 2051, 599 W. Conway Road, Harbor Springs, according to the city.

Absentee ballots. Absentee ballots were mailed starting Sept. 24. The City Clerk’s Office will be open Saturday, Oct. 31, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for absentee voting, the city says.

Election Day. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Petoskey voters cast ballots at 1106 Charlevoix Ave. from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Also this fall. The city’s curbside leaf pickup runs by ward: Ward 3 on Oct. 27, Ward 4 on Oct. 29, Ward 1 on Nov. 3 and Ward 2 on Nov. 5.

Sources:
North Central Michigan College, “2026 Millage FAQ” (rates, costs, 20% of revenue), https://www.ncmich.edu/millage/millage-faq.html
North Central Michigan College, “Millage Proposal Request,” https://www.ncmich.edu/millage/millage-proposal-request.html
North Central Michigan College, “NCMC Board approves operating millage renewal for November ballot,” https://www.ncmich.edu/community-events/news-and-press-releases/operating-millage-proposal-november-2026-ballot.html
City of Petoskey, “November 3 General Election Information” (early voting, clerk hours, Election Day; leaf pickup schedule), https://www.petoskey.us/news_detail_T29_R346.php
Photo: Michael Barera, “Madison August 2022 099 (Official Absentee Ballot Drop Box).jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Madison_August_2022_099_%28Official_Absentee_Ballot_Drop_Box%29.jpg

Petoskey

Tags: Petoskey · Elections · Millage · North Central Michigan College · Early Voting