It appears two millage proposals critical to the financial future of the Oxford school district were approved by voters in the Nov. 8 general election.

Based on the unofficial election results, the 10-year, 17.8078-mill non-homestead operating tax renewal was approved 7,989 to 4,467.

Voters also approved the 10-year, 0.1922-mill non-homestead operating tax increase. It won 6,953 to 5,440.

Those are the unofficial totals from Oxford, Addison, Brandon, Metamora, Dryden and Hadley townships, all of which are part of the school district.

“I am thrilled,” said Oxford Superintendent Tim Throne. “I am just overjoyed that Oxford continues to support the schools. We’re working to become better every day and this is just a great endorsement by the community to keep moving forward.”

Combined, the millages, which will be levied from 2017-26, are expected to generate more than $5 million per year for the district.

Had they failed, Oxford would have lost that revenue because the state assumes districts are levying the maximum 18 mills when it calculates the annual amount of per-pupil funding schools receive from Lansing.

Had Oxford lost that $5.2 million, the state would not have made up that revenue.

Throne is greatly relieved the district won’t be forced to make any massive budget cuts that would directly impact students in order to plug a significant hole in the budget.

“I’m real happy for the community,” he said.

Throne is extremely grateful for the efforts of the pro-millage committee Citizens for Oxford Community Schools, coordinated by Korey Bailey, Erica DiCosmo and Julie Fracker.

“I should definitely give some shout-outs to those people,” he said.

There was “definitely much more community engagement” than when the non-homestead millage failed 1,984 to 1,923 in the August primary election, the superintendent noted.

“I think we did a much better job at just informing the voters, getting them to understand what this millage is (and) what it isn’t,” he said.

Throne believes the higher voter-turnout also played a role in the millages’ passage. In August, a total of 3,907 people voted on the non-homestead issue. In the general election, more than 12,000 people voted on the tax proposals.

“I think that certainly helped us as well,” he said.

The school district wasn’t the only big winner in Oxford.

Based on the unofficial results, the 10-year, $2 million bond proposal to improve the township’s parks system was approved by voters 6,214 to 4,031. The bond will allow the parks and recreation department to repair, replace and improve things in Seymour Lake, Oakwood Lake, Powell Lake and Stony Lake parks.

Parks/Rec. Director Ron Davis is “very thankful” for the community’s “trust in us.”

“The staff will be very excited,” he said. “It will be nice to enhance our parks and add some new things, and just keep building on the success, I think, we’ve had here with the support of the community.”

Davis admitted he was “nervous” about this vote given the $20 million community center proposal’s failure in the August 2014 primary election.

“I was reluctant to be optimistic, to be honest with you,” he said. “I’m really tickled that it passed. Hats off to everybody who supported us and trusted us . . . I’m excited and I know the staff will be (too) tomorrow. It’s going to be fun.”

Davis wished to thank everyone who came out and voted, no matter how they voted.

In the race for the Oxford Board of Education, it appears the winners in the nine-candidate race for three seats were incumbent Dan D’Alessandro (3,591), Heather Shafer (3,527) and Tom Donnelly (3,022).

As for the rest of the candidates, the results were Jennifer Guthrie (2,721), Bruce Meyers (2,213), Rick Vandecar (1,841), Stacey Beane (1,777), Kallie Roesner (1,597) and Katherine East (1,593).

Again, those are the unofficial totals from Oxford, Addison, Brandon, Metamora, Dryden and Hadley townships.

In the race for Oxford Village Council, the winners were Erik Dolan, who was the top vote-getter with 810, and Dave Bailey, who garnered 545 votes. They beat out incumbent Rose Bejma, who received 528 votes.

Dolan, who was appointed to council in April, and Bailey, a former councilman and village president, each won four-year seats.

All six of the village’s proposed charter amendments were overwhelmingly approved by voters. These amendments are designed to update the charter, bring it into compliance with state law and ensure greater accountability in village government.

Village voters also approved a proposal to grant the municipality the authority to sell two odd-shaped parcels, totalling approximately 2.1 acres, located off Dayton St., south of Maple St. and west of Pleasant St.

Voters okayed the idea of selling this land 805 to 738.

In race for the District #3 seat on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, incumbent Republican Mike Spisz handily defeated Democratic challenger Michelle McClellan 20,550 to 9,249, based on the unofficial results.

Republican John Reilly, of Oakland Township, won the race for the 46th District seat in the state House of Representatives. He beat Democratic opponent David Lillis, of Lake Orion, 33,073 to 14,643.

Voter turn-out was high in Oxford and Addison townships.

In Oxford, a total of 11,225 (or 73.5 percent) of the township’s 15,270 registered voters participated in the election.

Addison saw 3,707 (or 77.1 percent) of its 4,808 registered voters cast a ballot in the general election.