ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Tuesday, the Delta County Board of Commissioners approved language for a November ballot proposal intended to support local veterans.
County residents will vote on one-tenth of a mill for five years that would provide services and relief for veterans by funding and staffing a county Department of Veterans Affairs. The former board moved the proposal to the ballot in April at the request of Veterans Service Officer Dave Dziewior, who says the need among veterans is growing.
“The veterans of Delta County handed over a blank check up to and including their very lives,” Dziewior said. “Simple pleasures enjoyed by people who may never have been in the service can be stripped by ways of physical or mental disabilities incurred in the line of duty… The veterans of our county were there for all of us when they were needed, and they continue to be there for us to this day… I want to thank all of you for all of your support and appreciate the consideration regarding this initiative and this final step to finally engage our community to give them a voice.”
The motion to approve the ballot language passed unanimously, with commissioner and veteran Matt Jensen saying in part, “Our veteran population is more than double the rest of the state here in Delta County… When it comes to our values, I think that speaks volumes for the individuals in this county, especially our veteran population.”
The Board of Commissioners also unanimously passed a motion to create a Veteran Affairs Committee, which will be made up of five veterans from each district in the county. One commissioner will also serve as a liaison and non-voting member of the committee. The estimated cost of the committee, approximately $3,000, would be funded by the millage if it is passed in November. If the millage does not pass, the cost would be absorbed by the County’s general fund.
Click here for more information on the millage.
