Shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be imposed on taxable property in the Village of Northport, County of Leelanau, Michigan, be increased by and the Village be authorized to levy a new additional millage in an amount not to exceed 1.24 mills ($1.24 per $1,000 of taxable value) for a period of twenty (20) years, beginning in 2027 and continuing through 2046...
That is the core of the Village of Northport Mill Pond Dam Replacement Millage Proposal. Village voters will see it on November 3, 2026. On paper it asks about funding for concrete and stop logs. In practice it asks something simpler. The 1935 dam on Northport Creek is reaching the end of its working life, and the vote decides whether the village pays to keep the Old Mill Pond behind a new one. Keeping the current structure indefinitely is not one of the choices.
The pond spent part of June underwater
On Monday, June 29, 2026, more than five inches of rain fell on Northport in about ninety minutes. GEI Consultants later reported to the Village that the dam overtopped and was eventually submerged. Village Department of Public Works crews estimated the water reached two to three feet above the spillway crest. The wooden pedestrian bridge over the dam floated loose, and so did the wooden fishing pier beside it. Both washed downstream, and the pier lodged against the roadway culvert.
The dam itself was not what flooded the pond. GEI traced the problem to the culvert under W. Third Street, just downstream. Once that culvert reached capacity, water backed up behind the road and rose to within about five feet of the road's low point. The dam went under, and the stop logs no longer controlled the flow. Starting June 30, DPW pulled stop logs and drew the pond down for inspection. After the drawdown, crews found displaced riprap and saw that most of the cobble-sized rock had washed downstream. They saw no apparent change in the concrete spillway.
The Third Street culvert matters for everything that follows. GEI's 2023 feasibility study recommended replacing that downstream culvert whether the dam is rebuilt or removed. Either way, the road work is part of the plan.
What the engineers said, and what they did not
The Village hired GEI in 2022 because of ongoing maintenance needs and deterioration. GEI rated the dam "in poor condition." It found cracking, spalling, exposed aggregate and displacement in the concrete spillway. It also found the spillway could not carry the 100-year design flood without overtopping. A June 2023 follow-up found the dam still in poor condition. It recommended a lower pool level to reduce the risk of overtopping and repeated the advice to replace or remove the structure within five years.
GEI did not find an emergency. The 2022 inspection identified no immediate threat to the dam's structural stability. After the June storm, GEI's July 21, 2026 memo noted embankment erosion. It found no visible worsening of the spillway concrete and no sign of internal movement.
The Council discussed both points at its September 3 work session. Trustee Laura Cavendish said the reports show the dam cannot stay in its current condition indefinitely. She added that any replacement would have to fix the hydraulic limits of both the dam and the downstream culvert. Another council member said the dam's performance in the storm did not suggest immediate danger of catastrophic failure. According to the minutes, the Council agreed that the reports do not identify an imminent emergency but do show the need for a long-term decision.
The five-year window began with the October 2022 inspection, so it closes in late 2027. That is the same year the proposed levy would start.
Two paths, two price tags
GEI's 2023 study compared two long-term options. One replaces the dam and keeps the Mill Pond. The other removes the dam and restores Northport Creek through the old impoundment. Repairing the existing structure was not offered as a long-term option. GEI's conceptual estimates:
| Project | GEI 2023 estimate |
|---|---|
| Dam replacement with downstream Third Street culvert | $910,750 |
| Dam removal and stream restoration with downstream culvert | $821,250 |
| Removal and restoration with both downstream and upstream culverts | $1,121,250 |
The 2023 gap between the two main options was under $90,000. What sets them apart is where the money would come from. The Village's information sheet says replacement "is expected to rely primarily on local funding." For removal and stream restoration, the Village has identified potential state, federal, tribal and nonprofit funding. GEI's study named several possible programs: Clean Water Act Section 319, the DNR Fisheries Habitat Grant Program, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Passage Program. It also listed possible partners, including the Grand Traverse Band, Conservation Resource Alliance and The Watershed Center. GEI noted that funding for replacement is limited and that grant programs often require matching funds.
The ballot figure is larger than GEI's estimate because the Village updated it. Its capital plan now carries about $1.5 million for replacement. Adding 20 percent for inflation, plus contingencies for engineering, design and financing, brings the planning figure to about $2 million. That is roughly what the millage would raise over 20 years. Final costs won't be known until design work is done and bids come in.
What a No vote sets in motion
The Village is direct about this. If the millage fails, the Council has resolved to "seek outside funding sources for the purpose of removing the Mill Pond Dam." The same document says the Council would then need to reconsider its approach given the dam's condition, the funding available and the alternatives already studied. So a Yes vote funds replacement, and a No vote leads toward removal, with the details still to be worked out.
Removal would take work of its own. GEI estimated about 2,600 cubic yards of sediment behind the dam. It assumed that sediment would be dug out rather than released downstream toward the harbor. At the September 17 regular meeting, the Council discussed moving the stream outlet and who would pay for future dredging at the marina or pond if the dam came out. That meeting was a discussion, and no vote on replacement or removal was taken.
The arithmetic on your own bill
The Village gives a simple way to estimate the maximum annual cost for a property:
- Find the property's taxable value on its tax bill or assessment notice. Taxable value is not the same as market value.
- Divide by 1,000.
- Multiply by 1.24.
In the Village's own example, a taxable value of $175,000 comes to a maximum of $217 a year. Its table runs from $124 at $100,000 of taxable value to $372 at $300,000.
The 1.24 mills is a ceiling. The Council would set the actual rate each year in its budget, subject to any bond obligations, and may levy less. The Village doesn't plan to save up for 20 years. It expects to borrow against the millage revenue and repay the debt from annual collections. Design, permitting and construction could move forward within roughly one to two fiscal years after approval. The village's total taxable value for 2026 is $83,486,798.
The rate on the ballot has also changed. A June resolution proposed 0.90 mills and $75,285 in first-year revenue. The August revision, Resolution 2026-16, raised it to the current 1.24 mills. Some earlier coverage still quotes the lower figure.
Who has spoken, and on what grounds
The Village Council does not take a position for or against the proposal. Its members disagreed about the timing. Cavendish cast the lone vote against putting the question on the ballot, saying more public education and discussion should come first. In public comment, Vickie Slot and Allan Dalzell asked for more analysis, cost detail, grant research and alternatives.
Outside the council chamber, the debate has been going for more than a year. In October 2025, the Leelanau Enterprise reported that David Brigham of the Leelanau Forum was arguing for removal on stream habitat and water quality grounds. The paper reported that the Forum's campaign was endorsed by the Adams Chapter of Trout Unlimited. In the same coverage, Trustee Will Harper said the Village could not afford ongoing dam maintenance and suggested the township take over the pond. He also raised concerns about marina dredging costs if sediment moves downstream. The Leelanau Ticker reported in January 2026 that the Forum had run two full-page ads in the Enterprise calling for removal.
Thomas Gremel, president of the Northport Sportsman's Club, told the Record-Eagle he favored keeping the dam for the fishing derby and other recreation on the pond. He also said he could accept removal if the Village chose it. Brett Fessell, a restoration ecologist with the Grand Traverse Band, described removal as ecologically beneficial. He added that it depends on a willing owner and a willing community.
Where the pond stands this month
The derby Gremel mentioned is the Scott Brow Kid's Fishing Day. The Sportsman's Club has held it at the Mill Pond since the 1980s. This past April, club member Ryan Blessing said the club stocked about 350 rainbow trout the day before, with help from kindergartners at Northport Public School. Families arrived before dawn on a cold Saturday. Blessing told the Enterprise that people were bringing their kids and grandkids, some of whom appear in photos from the old derbies.
As of the September 17 DPW report, crews were still repairing concrete and clearing brush along the embankment. New stop logs were waiting to be installed under state direction. No public record yet confirms that the pond has refilled or that the bridge and pier have been replaced.
Village Manager Ottenwess has set up a Mill Pond Dam page on the Village website. It holds GEI's 2022 inspection, the 2023 feasibility study, the July 2026 post-storm memo, and an FAQ on what happens under each outcome. Regular Council meetings are held on the third Thursday at 7 p.m. That makes October 15 the last regular meeting before Election Day. The chair said in September that GEI's Dan DeVaun was expected at an upcoming meeting. Printed materials are also available at the Village office, 116 W. Nagonaba Street.
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