Moran Township voters will consider May 4 if they want to renew Gros Cap School's 16.8734 millage for three years, which is expected to generate $961,784 operational revenue in the first year in 2010. The millage, renewed in 2007, raised about $950,000 last year .

If it is not passed, Superintendent William Peltier said, the school would be unable to function.

“If the voters of the township want to have a school, they'll support this millage,” Mr. Peltier said.

The tax is collected on non-homestead property, which includes sec- ond homes and businesses. A request for 16.8734 mills would cost $16.8743 for every $1,000 of a property's taxable value.

The operational millage pays for such school costs as heating, lighting, technology, and salaries.

Operational funding does not include building improvements. A separate fund covers those projects and has its own 1.75 millage that affects all properties. That millage was renewed in 2009 and is not on the ballot this year.

Gros Cap's tax collection brings in more than the school's operational costs, so it does not receive state funding.

If the proposal fails in May, the millage could be placed before voters again on the August ballot, he said, but if voters still reject the millage, the K-8 school would likely be absorbed into the St. Ignace Area School district, Mr. Peltier said. Should that happen, non-homestead property owners could see an increase in their taxes if the new district collects 18 mills for operation expenses, as St. Ignace does. Other districts could absorb Gros Cap School, such as Engadine Consolidated Schools, but St. Ignace would be more likely because of its location.