Millage
Millage Renewal Proposed to Fund Conservation District Programs
On August 2, 2016, Van Buren County voters approved a 0.1000 mill, 10-year levy to raise an estimated $300,000 for the Van Buren Conservation District annually. The estimated cost to a household owning a $100,000 (SEV $50,000) home was $5.00 per year.
The Van Buren County Board of Commissioners approved ballot language to place a renewal millage proposal for the Van Buren Conservation District millage on the August 4, 2026 primary ballot. This millage proposal is at 0.0989 mill for a period of 10 years, 2026 through 2035 inclusive.
Election Day August 4, 2026
Election details including early voting, absentee voting, and more is available at michigan.gov
Frequently Asked Questions
A renewal. The proposed Van Buren Conservation District millage is a renewal with the required Headlee Rollbacks factored in, reducing the previously approved 0.1000 mill to 0.0989 mills.
If the millage proposal passes, the millage will be levied at a reduced amount than was previously levied. The VBCD will continue to provide programs and services and improve and plan for the future.
Current millage funding expired at the end of 2025. Without a renewal, the Van Buren Conservation District would lose about 25% of its funding, necessitating a reduction in staff, programs, services, and educational resources.
The estimated cost to a household owning a $100,000 (State Equalized Value $50,000) home would be $4.95 per year.
To calculate your tax, find your property’s taxable value, divide it by 1,000, then multiply it by 0.0989.
This proposal will allow Van Buren County to continue to fund conservation programs at 0.0989 mill which represents the previously-approved 0.10 mill with the required Headlee Rollbacks factored in.
As a renewal of previously authorized millage which expired with the 2025 levy, the question presented in this ballot proposal is – Shall the expired previously voted increase in the tax limitation imposed under Article IX, Sec. 6 of the Michigan Constitution in Van Buren County, Michigan, of 0.1000 mill ($0.10 per $1,000 of Taxable Value), reduced to 0.0989 mills ($0.0989 per $1,000 taxable value) by the required millage rollbacks, be renewed at up to 0.0989 ($0.0989 per $1,000 taxable value) for a period of ten (10) years, 2026 through 2035 inclusive, for the sole purpose of funding Van Buren Conservation District programs including assisting landowners in the protection, enhancement, and restoration of natural resources, assist agricultural producers in the protection of soil and water and implementation of best management practices on farmland, increase household hazardous waste and recycling collection opportunities, and continue water quality initiatives, within the boundaries of Van Buren County?
A portion of the revenue collected may be required to be distributed to the Downtown Development Authorities, Tax Increment Financing Authorities, Local Development Financing Authorities and Brownfield Redevelopment Authorities established in Van Buren County, City of South Haven, Bangor City, Hartford City, Keeler Township, Villages of Lawrence, Lawton, Paw Paw and Mattawan.
If approved and levied in full, this millage will raise an estimated $442,463.54 for Van Buren Conservation District services in the first calendar year of the levy based on taxable value. The estimated cost to a household owning a $100,000 (SEV $50,000) home would be $4.945 per year.
The Van Buren Conservation District serves all of Van Buren County. We work closely with County government, local municipalities, and local organizations to:
- promote the conservation of natural resources through partnerships
- provide public education and demonstrations
- offer technical assistance
We help folks implement conservation and protect the environment for a cleaner, healthier, and economically stronger Van Buren County, Michigan.
Conservation districts in Michigan are primarily funded through grants. For the Van Buren Conservation District (VBCD), about 57% of funding comes from grants and about 25% comes from the millage.
The remainder of the funding comes from state funding, municipal contributions, sponsorships, charges for services, interest, rentals, tree seedling sale, and donations.
Since 2016, the VBCD has obtained and managed more than 70 grants to fund conservation projects and services. Most of these competitive grants require the VBCD to commit local dollars to receive grant dollars. Often, millage funds are how we provide these local dollars. For every $1 of millage funding, the VBCD leverages about $2.33 of funding from other sources, from fiscal year 2017 through fiscal year 2025.
Contact Executive Director Emilly Hickmott at: director@VanBurenCD.org 269-633-9054
Or contact the Van Buren Conservation District Board of Directors by leaving a message with the staff at:
info@VanBurenCD.org or 269-657-4030×5
Or by attending one of their regular open board meetings:
- Wednesday, June 24, 2026 (fourth Wednesday)
- Wednesday, July 15, 2026 (third Wednesday to accommodate partner events)
- Wednesday, August 26, 2026 (fourth Wednesday)
- Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (fourth Wednesday)
- Wednesday, October 28, 2026 (fourth Wednesday)
- Wednesday, November 18, 2026 (third Wednesday to accommodate holiday)
- Wednesday, December 16, 2026 (third Wednesday to accommodate holiday)
All Van Buren Conservation District Board Director meetings shall begin at 10:00 AM. All changes to this schedule shall be posted according to Michigan’s Open Meetings Act.
LOCATION: USDA Service Center 1035 E Michigan Ave., Paw Paw, MI 49079
These are public meetings and may be attended in person. The District Board will provide necessary reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities at the meeting upon 1 day’s notice. Contact: District Executive Director Emilly Hickmott by phone at 269-633-9054 or by email director@VanBurenCD.org
What does the Van Buren Conservation District (VBCD) Do?
Millage funding has allowed the VBCD to:
- offer stable programs and services
- successfully compete for large, locally-focused grants
- Provide matching funds
- Leverage other funds for larger reimbursement-based projects we could not have without the millage funding
- hire and retain qualified staff
- increase resident and landowner access to state and federal funds
Additional conservation impacts can be found in our annual reports at https://vanburencd.org/annual-reports/
Since 2016, we have:
- delivered $300,000+ to landowners for wildlife and reforestation projects
- distributed 145,000+ seedlings for fresher air and new wildlife habitat
- engaged 51,000 people about outdoor recreation and local food and farms
- hosted and co-hosted hundreds of free educational events
- established an invasive species strike team to manage invasive species on public and private lands
- managed Van Buren County road rights-of-way for high priority invasive species Japanese knotweed and phragmites
Since 2016, we have:
- delivered $650,000+ to farmers for 19,000+ acres of cover crops that protected soil and water
- delivered $5.5 million to landowners for conservation on farms
- helped farmers adopt 1,000+ practices to reduce environmental risk
- supported farmers on 70,000+ acres
- offered 22+ farmer-focused events with hands-on learning
Since 2016, we have:
- held 66 recycling collection events at no direct cost to Van Buren County residents
- made scrap tire recycling available at 10 transfer stations year-round
- added a 2nd year-round electronic recycling location (Paw Paw and South Haven)
- Removed the fee to recycle TVs and computer monitors
- helped 7 transfer stations improve their facilities and increase services
- added 10 battery recycling locations open year-round
- added foam recycling at 5 transfer stations
Since 2016, we have:
- conducted 109 habitat surveys to protect lake & stream health
- held river, stream, and lake cleanup events to remove trash from our shared waters
- offered hundreds of free well water nitrate/nitrite screenings
- 54,150 gallons of runoff prevented annually due to planting of trees and shrubs near lakes & rivers
- reduced thousands of tons of sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus from entering waterways