No Voter Approval Required for School Merger, Tax Hike

Big price tag for change approved by school board members

Oceana County property owners will be paying $1.02 million more a year in taxes, thanks to a school district merger approved without a public vote.

Board members from the Mason-Lake and Oceana intermediate school districts agreed to the merger in June. Oceana taxpayers will pay the higher millage rate assessed in Mason-Lake.