Yes for LMC, Yes for Our Future
- banet22
- Oct 20
- 3 min read
Emma Goos, LMC student
As a student at Lake Michigan College, I’ve seen what this school means to our community. It is more than classrooms and textbooks. It is a place where people start over, find direction, and build futures close to home. For many of us, LMC is the difference between being able to afford college or not going at all. It gives people in Southwest Michigan a chance to learn, grow, and stay in the community we love.
This November, voters will be asked to renew the college’s operating millage and approve a reduced capital millage rate. I’m voting yes because this proposal protects affordable education and actually lowers taxes at the same time. The renewal does not raise taxes — it locks in the current rate for another twenty years — and the second part of the proposal cuts another millage in half. That means a tax cut for local residents, not an increase. It’s a responsible plan that allows LMC to keep tuition affordable while giving taxpayers real relief.
LMC depends on this local support for nearly one-fifth of its total funding. Without it, tuition would rise sharply, putting college out of reach for many families. Thanks to this community’s continued investment, LMC tuition costs remain about one-third of what it costs to attend a four-year university and the lowest in the region. That support is what keeps doors open for students like me, and it helps hundreds of graduates each year earn degrees that lead to good jobs or smooth transfers to larger universities.
The college has proven itself to be a careful steward of public money. The capital millage, which will be cut in half if this proposal passes, helps maintain safe and modern facilities, from updating the 35-year-old Mendel Center to improving student housing, campus safety, and classroom equipment. LMC is not asking for more money; it is asking to continue the same level of support while cutting one of the tax rates by fifty percent. That is something worth getting behind.
Enrollment at LMC is growing again, with numbers up 20 percent this summer after a 10 percent increase last fall. New programs like the Police Academy, truck driving school, agriculture and agribusiness, data science, and aviation are helping students prepare for the kinds of careers that keep our local economy strong. A new Physical Therapy Assistant program is also on the way, expanding opportunities in healthcare for students at the South Haven campus. Every program, every class, every certificate offered here is about helping people move forward.
Last year, Smart Asset named Lake Michigan College the number one community college in Michigan and one of the top thirty in the country. That recognition wasn’t just about academics. It reflected LMC’s commitment to affordability, small class sizes, and strong student outcomes. LMC also leads Michigan’s only countywide youth apprenticeship program, giving students real experience and pathways into the workforce. These are not the kinds of results you get from an institution standing still. They come from a college that works hard to meet the needs of its community.
Renewing this millage and approving the tax cut keeps that momentum going. It allows LMC to keep tuition low, maintain safe and modern facilities, and keep building programs that prepare students for the jobs of the future. It keeps opportunity close to home. This proposal is not about new taxes. It is about protecting what works, respecting taxpayers, and investing in the next generation.
As a student who has seen how much this college changes lives, I know what is at stake. I’ve met people here who are the first in their families to go to college. I’ve met parents coming back to school to create better lives for their children. I’ve seen classmates graduate and get good jobs in our community. That is what this millage supports — not buildings or budgets, but people and their futures.
On November 4, I hope you will join me in voting yes for Lake Michigan College. It’s a vote for education, for affordability, and for a stronger Southwest Michigan. Most importantly, it’s a vote for a tax cut that still keeps opportunity within reach for everyone.
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