Voters approved a new taxation of 0.14 mills each year for the next 10 years. The millage will raise more than $1 million in the coming year. The millage passed by 50.2 percent.

Paul Kindel, chairman of the county Agricultural Preservation Board, said the money would be used to buy development rights to farmland and other open spaces — waterways, wildlife habitat, wetlands and other natural areas — to prevent urban sprawl.

“They basically are retiring (the development rights),” Kindel said.

“They will never be out on the market again and (the county) will monitor the land.”

Conservation easements have grown in popularity over the past 40 years, and are common on the East and West coasts, Kindel said. This would be the first county-wide easement in Michigan, he said.

East Lansing Assessor Jane Meddaugh said the millage would not impact development in East Lansing because the city has no farmland.

“For all intents and purposes, it just isn’t anything that would affect us,” she said.

Kindel said the county has been accepting landowners’ applications for conservation easements for the past three years and has collected about 30 of them.

“We cannot go any further than that right now, because we have no money to get the development rights,” he said.

911 Millage Renewal:

Residents voted to renew and restore a 0.85 mill taxation to fund Ingham County’s 911 emergency telephone and dispatch system. The millage, which will last four years, is expected to raise nearly $6.8 million in the next year to fund the county’s 911 emergency telephone and dispatch service.

The millage renewal passed by about 72.5 percent.

Ingham County Commissioner Mark Grebner said the millage was expected to pass, as it had been overwhelmingly approved by voters since its implementation in 1988.

“People like 911,” he said. “They figure it works pretty well. Why screw it up?”

Ingham County Drain Commissioner:

After a vigorous campaign for the Democratic nomination for Ingham County Drain Commissioner, incumbent Patrick Lindemann defeated challenger Gary Marx to be placed on the November ballot. Lindemann collected about 66 percent of the final vote.

The drain commissioner is responsible for maintaining storm drains, establishing drainage districts and assessing drainage fees, controlling lake levels and soil erosion, and reviewing proposals for subdivision plats, among other things.

Lindemann will face Republican candidate Jeffrey Oesterle in November.

Ingham County Board of Commissioners:

In the race for the 9th District seat on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners, Carol Koenig defeated former East Lansing City Council member Beverly Baten, with about 70 percent of the votes. Koenig received 831 votes to Baten’s 360.

The two were vying to replace Curtis Hertel Jr., a Democrat, who has been on the board for eight years and has chosen not to run for re-election. Instead, he is running for the county register of deeds.

Hertel said the biggest challenge of being on the board, aside from county issues, is dividing time between the board, a full-time job, and spending time with family.

4th District Michigan Court of Appeals:

In the race for the 4th District Judge of the Court of Appeals, Paula Manderfield and Michael Kelly received top votes. Eric Doster, Jim Howell, Michael Kelly and Paula Manderfield were on the ballot seeking to replace Judge Bill Schuette.

Manderfield received about 65.8 percent of votes and Kelly received about 16.6 percent of the votes.

Two nominees were chosen from the four candidates to appear on the November ballot for the six year, $151,441-per-year term.

Staff writers Allison Bush and Joseph Terry contributed to this report.