Muskegon Heights Moves Three Voting Precincts

Andrew Trzaska | January 11, 2012

In anticipation of cost-cutting proposals being considered by the Muskegon Heights Public Schools board of education, the City of Muskegon Heights will relocate three of their precincts from district school buildings to alternate locations.

The cost-cutting measure in question is the suggestion to winterize Roosevelt, Glendale and Lindbergh schools, all of which are which are currently underutilized but also act as polling places for Precincts 2, 4 and 5 in the city.

Winterizing the buildings means the district’s utility usage would be a fraction of their current levels, saving the district money as they fight out of a deficit looming over 8 million dollars.  This would include draining the pipes and filling them with antifreeze, and keeping heat at the lowest advisable levels.  Electricity would be minimized as well.

With these combined changes, the buildings would not be inhabitable on a daily basis; with the district’s Monday vote to eliminate its alternative education program and its recent transfer of adult education to Orchard View, the district will be left with a vacant Lindbergh School, increasing its number of empty buildings.

Precinct 2, formerly at Roosevelt, will hold voting at Muskegon Heights City Hall in the Council Chambers.

The Muskegon Heights Police Department, adjacent to City Hall on the Baker Street side, will host voting for Precinct 4, which formerly held voting at Glendale elementary.

Voters who previously went to Lindbergh in Precinct 5 should instead report to Muskegon Heights Middle School.

Aside from decisions pending from the school district, city clerk Sharon Gibbs noted that census figures due to arrive in August may reorganize precincts further.  Until then, the City Clerk’s office chose to go to the city council for the temporary move.

The city plans to contact every citizen affected by the precinct changes via mail and disseminate the information through media as well.

The city council vote authorizing the movement of the precincts passed unanimously at Monday’s full council meeting.

The changes voted in Monday will be in effect for Michigan’s February 28 presidential primary, the next scheduled voting date in Muskegon County.