ACC?s second meetings echoes theme of ?bad timing?
by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor
Alpena Community College (ACC) officials returned to Posen Sunday for the second of two, town hall meetings to explain the May ballot proposals and answer more questions. There were less people in attendance than the first meeting on March 20, and an almost an entirely new audience. However, the theme seemed to be the same. Many people support ACC, and appreciate the services the community college has come to offer area residents, but don?t believe this is the right time for a millage increase.
Voters will go to the polls in May to decide if they want to join the ACC district. Two questions await registered voters: approval to authorize the Posen Consolidated School district to be annexed to the ACC district; the second would authorize ACC to collect a 2.5 mill levy for 10 years. THE MILLAGE is broken into two parts, the first of which is a 1.5 mill charter millage that is permanent. The remaining 1.0 mill serial levy is brought to voters for periodic renewal every eight to 10 years.
The millage would generate $250,686 per year and be used to provide reduced tuition rates to Posen residents, bring classes to the Posen school building and renovations two classrooms at the school building. ACC president Dr. Olin Joynton led the presentation in front of the 28 residents, some who filtered in as he spoke. Joynton answered several questions that couldn?t be answered March 20, including ?why now?? ?What?s the community going to look like if we don?t do this, and secondly, while there is not a great opportunity to be employed, this is an optimal time to train for something better, when the economy gets better,? he said.
?That goes back to the theme of hope. Most people who do well in life, do so because they have some kind of positive attitude, some kind of optimism.? Joynton said it is critical to sustain hope in the kind of conditions northeast Michigan residents have been experiencing for the past decade. ?The people who have the ability to sustain that hope somehow manage, and the people who struggle with hope, have a harder time. ?When I was here on March 20, I heard a fair amount of gloom. I heard a fair amount of fear. I heard concerns that the school system may not exist anymore. Joynton shared that someone, who didn?t speak at the last town hall meeting said the ACC proposal, ?this is the only thing that represents a ray of hope, something positive, something new, somebody is reaching out to the community with something better.? Joynton said the proposals are opportunities to bring ?higher education benefits that are so important for citizens in a community like this.? He added, ?we find a high level of trust in ACC, expressed by people who do business with us.?
ED TECKMAN of Posen said if the proposals ?had happened five to 10 years ago, I would have been all for it.? He further commented, ?Your timing is not in the toilet, it?s in the septic tank, as far as I?m concerned.? Art Mucciante of Presque Isle said, ?What you are asking is for a mandate to take my property taxes for something I may never use, that my children may never use.? He added, ?The timing being bad is the understatement of the year, but you asked the question about what is more important right now? I?ll tell you what is more important, people keeping their houses, putting food on the table. I understand where you?re going with higher educa
When a question was raised about the 1.5 mill being permanent, Joynton said voters have the option of ?getting rid of the whole thing…every time there is an election voters have an opportunity to say, ?no, we don?t think this is a good value at all,? they can end the millage all together. It?s not something that can?t be rescinded.? Joynton said his goal for residents is to have them understand the ballot measures fully and to make an informed voting decision May 3.
He said, if the measures failed, ?If you say ?no,? we?ll still be friends, at least form my point of view. We?ll still offer what we can to citizens of Posen. ?My personal feeling would be, we missed a great opportunity to intensify our work together, but no hard feelings. On the other hand, you look at the record, of the voters saying ?yes? to ACC again, and again, and again.? Joynton said, ?I still believe the time to get moving with education is when things are not so good, because people have more opportunity to go to college, and then when better times come, they?ll be prepared for something they really enjoy, that they are really good at, that pays better.?