Pittsfield will hold a special municipal election Tuesday to fill an At-Large Town Council seat. 

The polls will be open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, and residents can vote at the Pittsfield Town Office, 112 Somerset Ave., in the municipal building in the council chamber downstairs. The School Administrative District 53 2021-22 school district budget referendum will also be on the ballot. 

There is only one candidate on the ballot for the council seat, Michael Cianchette, who has served on the town council in the past. Voters may also write in candidates, as long as they provide the person’s first and last names, and the road they live on. 

The elected councilor would serve six months, through December, the rest of the seat’s original term. In November, the town will hold its regular election where it will elect a councilor to the seat for the full three years. 

The seat is currently empty, after Debra Billings resigned earlier this year for personal reasons, said Pittsfield Town Manager Kathryn Ruth.  

Even with the empty seat, the council has had enough members to conduct business, Ruth said, which is part of why the special election was not held earlier. There were also concerns about the cost and ensuring voter turnout, according to Ruth.  

MSAD 53, which serves Pittsfield, Burnham and Detroit, will also hold its budget referendum Tuesday. The proposed MSAD 53 budget totals $13,029,735, a 0.31% or $40,0000 increase from last year. 

But while the overall budget has only a slight increase, the district’s state subsidy is down $407,868, so all three towns in the district are seeing larger increases. 

“The money needs to be made up someplace,” Ruth said. “I mean you have some savings — they came through with a total budget that was about the same — they did very good.” 

After accounting for state aid, Pittsfield’s share of the budget has increased 4% from last year, bringing it to a total of $3,475,945.  

Pittsfield will also likely see a larger increase in the town’s portion of the district budget in the coming years, Ruth said, as the town’s valuation will go up as two empty mills in town will be filled.  

Burnham’s portion has increased 6.89%, totaling $1,365,474, and Detroit’s portion increased 11.97%, totaling $946,137. 

Burnham residents can vote on the budget Tuesday at the town office, 247 South Horseback Road, from 8 a.m. to 8p.m., and Detroit residents can vote at their town office, 35 South Main St., also from 8 a.m. to 8p.m. 

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