Monday, October 12, 2015

Livonia Chamber endorses Schoolcraft College millage

The Livonia Chamber of Commerce will support Schoolcraft College’s millage request that goes to area voters in November.

The Chamber’s Board of Directors voted to endorse the millage, concluding three months of research and analysis by Chamber leaders.  They concluded the added revenue is necessary to keep tuition affordable, while supporting current and new programs that connect students to in-demand jobs sought by local companies.

“There is a lot of value to the community to have access to lower-cost, higher education,” said Board Chairman-Elect Dan Laible, who is the CFO for Livonia manufacturer NYX Inc. “When you look at how Schoolcraft College stacks up to their peers, and the quality of service they provide to our business community, this is a worthwhile investment.”

Schoolcraft College, seeking its first millage increase since 1986, is asking voters on Nov. 3 for a 0.6-mill tax increase over a 10-year period. Schoolcraft President Dr. Conway Jeffress said the added tax capture would help the school add certificate and associate-degree programs for in-demand fields such as additive manufacturing and health care administration.  He added many capital improvements have been frozen in recent years, but Schoolcraft needs to update some of its aging buildings that date back to the college’s opening in 1962.

This millage election impacts voters in the Livonia, Plymouth-Canton, Northville, Clarenceville, and Garden City school districts. If approved, owners of a $200,000 home would pay about $60 more a year in property taxes.

Schoolcraft College serves some 30,000 students and reports 61% of its students graduate or transfer to a university, which is the best rate among community colleges in Michigan. The school has a record of efficiency, providing 263,804 credit hours on a $96.2 million budget in 2013-14, while neighboring Washtenaw Community College provided 250,506 hours for $115.9 million in the same year.

Like many Michigan municipalities, the college lost tax revenue since 2008 with plunging property values in the area, but Jeffress said the Schoolcraft Board of Trustees has limited annual tuition increases up to one percent more than the consumer’s price index (CPI).

“Since the business community stands to gain from this investment, this millage request shares added costs for new programs with the business community,” said Dan West, 
president and CEO of the Livonia Chamber of Commerce. “We believe this will enhance workforce development initiatives sought by our member businesses in recent years, which has emerged as a leading economic development issue for our region.”

The Livonia Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit trade organization that represents nearly 900 companies and community groups in and around Livonia, and advocates for the Livonia business community. In recent years, the Chamber has focused on promoting good career opportunities in high-demand skilled fields such as advanced manufacturing, information technology, electronics, and welding.