Community Corner

5 Things to Know Before You Hit the Polls Today

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Happy Election Day in Oakland Township, Orion Township and Lake Orion!

Here are five things you should know today before hitting the polls (assuming you haven't yet voted absentee, anyway).

1. Blossom Ridge Senior Housing
If you live in Oakland Township you will vote on the Blossom Ridge senior housing ballot question, which reads as follows:

Ordinance No. 16-2012A, adopted by the Charter Township of Oakland Board of Trustees on August 14, 2012, rezoned approximately 41.842 acres of property located at the northwest corner of Adams and Dutton Roads for the Blossom Ridge Senior Housing development from the Medium Residential Density (MRD) zoning classification to the Residential Multiple-Family with Planned Rezoning Residential Overlay (R-M/PRRO) zoning classification.  The subject property consists of land having the following property identification numbers and street addresses: 10-31-400-003 (5750 Adams Rd.), 10-31-400-004 (3050 Adams Rd.), 10-31-400-013 (no street address) and 10-31-400-014 (5870 Adams Rd.).
 
Should this ordinance be approved?

2. Lake Orion School Bond
If you live in the Lake Orion school district, you will be voting on two ballot measures pertaining to a school bond for improvements to Lake Orion schools. You can view a sample ballot here. The questions are as follows:

Proposition A:

Shall the Lake Orion Community Schools, County of Oakland, State of Michigan, borrow the sum of not to exceed Twenty-Eight Million Six Hundred Ninety Thousand and 00/100 ($28,690,000) Dollars and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefor, in one or more series, for the purpose of paying for the cost of the following projects:

  • Acquiring and installing technology equipment and technology infrastructure in school buildings and other facilities;
  • Remodeling, equipping, re-equipping, furnishing and re-furnishing school buildings and other facilities to enhance security and for other purposes; and
  • Preparing, developing and improving sites at school buildings, athletic fields and other facilities? 
The maximum number of years the bonds may be outstanding, exclusive of refunding, is not more than twenty (20) years; the estimated millage that will be levied to pay the proposed bonds in the first year is 0.70 mills (which is equal to $0.70 per $1,000 of taxable value); and the estimated simple average annual millage that will be required to retire the bonds over twenty (20) years is 1.15 mills annually ($1.15 per $1,000 of taxable value)

(Pursuant to State law, expenditure of bond proceeds must be audited, and the proceeds cannot be used for teacher, administrator or employee salaries, repair or maintenance costs or other operating expenses.

Proposition B:
Shall the Lake Orion Community Schools, County of Oakland, State of Michigan, borrow the sum of not to exceed Four Million Five Hundred Forty Thousand and 00/100 ($4,540,000) Dollars and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefor, in one or more series, for the purpose of paying for the cost of the following enhancement projects:
  • Acquiring and installing technology equipment and technology infrastructure in school buildings and other facilities;
  • Remodeling, equipping, re-equipping, furnishing and re-furnishing school buildings, athletic facilities, athletic fields and other facilities;
  • Erecting a multi-purpose team room at the High School athletic field; and
  • Preparing, developing and improving sites at school buildings, athletic fields and other facilities?
The maximum number of years the bonds may be outstanding, exclusive of refunding, is not more than twenty (20) years; the estimated millage that will be levied to pay the proposed bonds in the first year is 0.12 mills (which is equal to$0.12 per $1,000 of taxable value); and the estimated simple average annual millage that will be required to retire the bonds over twenty (20) years is 0.18 mills annually ($0.18 per $1,000 of taxable value). 

(Pursuant to State law, expenditure of bond proceeds must be audited, and the proceeds cannot be used for teacher, administrator or employee salaries, repair or maintenance costs or other operating expenses.)

3. Check Your Voter Registration Status
Want to verify that you're registered to vote and need to find your precinct information? No problem. The Michigan Secretary of State has a website where you can look up your voter ID and find the proper polling location.

4. Bring a Photo ID to the Polls

Remember to bring an acceptable form of photo identification to the polls on Election Day. If you don't have photo ID you can still vote by requesting an affidavit. 

Your photo ID does not need to have your address on it. In addition, the name on your identification card may be a shorter form of your name. For example, "Bill" for "William" and "Kathy" for "Katherine" are acceptable.

Find out what's happening in Oakland Township-Lake Orionfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

After showing your photo ID to the poll worker and signing the application, you may cast your ballot.

If you do not have photo ID, you can still cast a ballot simply by signing an affidavit. The affidavit can be used by:

Find out what's happening in Oakland Township-Lake Orionfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Voters who do not have acceptable photo ID
  • Voters who have photo ID but didn't bring it to the polls

Once you sign the affidavit, you may cast your ballot. It will be counted with all other ballots on Election Day.

5. Bookmark Oakland Township-Lake Orion Patch for Results 

We'll be monitoring election results all night and will update our page with results as we receive them. Check back here for the final tally! 

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