By Staff
CASSOPOLIS – Cass County voters on Tuesday defeated the four-year, half-mill request for parks millage, 9,750 no to 5,931 yes.
Up to half the $720,166 that the levy would have raised the first year would have been distributed to the City of Dowagiac ($42,339.89), villages and townships of Cass County for local parks and recreation systems, as determined by the Board of Commissioners, and the $360,083 remainder utilized by the county parks department, which among other goals, wanted to acquire Arthur Dodd Memorial Park on Creek Road near Sumnerville from the state.
Dodd Park is among the county's three largest, after Dr. T.K. Lawless Park southeast of Vandalia and Russ Forest Park between Dowagiac and Marcellus.
This is the third time a parks millage try has failed.
It lost 54 percent to 46 percent in 2002.
Cass County election results were complete shortly before 2 a.m. today.