Today, Dr. Nick Nissley, President of Northwest Michigan College, spoke to us about the proposed annexation of Benzie County into the NMC district.
"Help Wanted" signs are found in businesses throughout Benzie County, but more than 6,500 Benzie residents are without any education beyond high school. All sorts of courses are available at NMC, but many Benzie residents cannot afford the cost of out-of-district tuition. NMC believes that assisting these individuals to take advantage of educational opportunities will not only improve their lives but also will benefit employers by providing a better-trained workforce.
Of course, the annexation of Benzie County will come at a cost to be borne by taxpayers. The college's analysis of a taxpayer whose home has an assessed value of $300,000 reflects an annual cost of $309 to adopt the new NMC millage. But the savings in attending NMC as an in-district student would be $2,780. (See the Cost/Benefit analysis in Dr. Nissley's PowerPoint presentation.)
NMC's mission is to deliver lifelong learning opportunities to transform lives and enrich communities. Similarly, the vision of Advocates for Benzie County and BEST Benzie County is to improve the lives of the residents of Benzie County. In pursuit of these aims NMC and the Benzie groups have held a number of "listening sessions" to educate the public on the benefits of annexation. Stay tuned!
To view Dr. Nissley's presentation and the Q&As, go to 1-23-24, NMC Proposed Annexation, Nick Nissley (youtube.com)