Oakland County taxpayers are being asked to open their wallets this August, with more than 40 tax proposals at stake in the Aug. 4 primary.
If all were to be approved by voters, these tax proposals would garner more than $250 million in the first year levied alone.
Roughly half of that number comes from a countywide school enhancement millage that would be spread across all 28 public school districts in Oakland County.
The remainder of the proposals in individual communities would fund public safety, including police, fire and EMS; retirement for public safety employees; infrastructure, including roads, sewers, and water mains; parks; pathways; senior and youth services; libraries and school operating millages.
Some communities have multiple proposals. Some of the proposals are new increases, many are renewals and several seek a restoration of funds that have been rolled back due to the Headlee Amendment, which requires local governments to reduce property tax millage rates if assessed property values grow faster than the rate of inflation.
Inflation, say at least two local fire chiefs, is really putting the stress on fire departments and driving the need for higher millages, with the cost of fire trucks and ambulances seeing increases between 37%-70% over the last six years while insurance costs over that same time period have increased between 52%-69%.
“Everyone is dealing with these increased prices,” Auburn Hills Fire Chief Trevin Robinson said. “At the national level, Congress has hauled in major manufacturers and asked what is going on post-COVID. I can’t imagine it can keep increasing at the rate it has these past few years. You couldn’t afford anything.”
In Auburn Hills, a 4-mill levy is proposed to replace the 2.50 mills previously approved by voters. There would be no limit to the duration of the levy, and another proposal would amend the city’s charter to reflect the new millage.
In Orion Township, the fire millage proposal of 3.85 mills is considered “new” on the ballot but Fire Chief Ryan Allen explains that it is because the previous 3 mills approved by voters expired in December. The new millage, which includes a 0.85-mill increase, would be in effect for four years. Without it, the township’s fire department is unfunded for 2026-27.
“It’s a really big deal to pass this,” Allen points out, adding that the township is looking to add nine full-time firefighters to the current staff of 36 to cover a growing township and an increasing number of service calls.
Orion Township also proposes 3.75 mills for four years to cover police services provided by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, whose prices have also increased.
Here are some more proposals on the Oakland County ballot:
Ferndale
Two proposals would amend the charter. One requires the city to “maintain a Policemen and Firemen Retirement System and to set forth the parameters of that System by ordinance as the City Council shall, from time to time, adopt.”
The second eliminates the city’s civil service system.Two proposals for the Ferndale Area District Library are also on the ballot, one which would levy 3.31 mills (a 0.50-mill increase, for 10 years, raising $3.4 million in the first year, and the second a new additional 0.50 millage for 10 years that would raise about $515,000 in its first year for library capital improvements and maintenance).
Hazel Park
A 2.5-mill levy (.4009 of which is new) is proposed for 10 years to fund the Hazel Park District Library. If approved, just over $1 million would be raised in the first year.
Huntington Woods
A $17 million bond proposal seeks to acquire and construct “road and sewer improvements, including storm and sanitary sewer rehabilitation and replacement of existing sewer lines, together with water main improvements and parks and recreation system equipment and improvements.” The bonds would be paid back over the course of 20 years, with 1.98 mills levied against taxpayers in 2027, with 1.91 mills the average annual levy to repay the bonds.
Madison Heights
Approval of a charter amendment proposal would “provide for public residential street right-of-way repair and construction, and related sewer repairs and reconstruction, by levy and collection of 2 mills per year for ten years.” Approximately $2,416,754 would be raised in 2027, the first year of the levy.
Oak Park
Two proposals are on the ballot, with the first seeking to renew 7 mills for seven years in order to fund the retirement system for public safety officers. An estimated $5,623,433 would be raised in the first year.The second proposal is a renewal of .9850 mills for 10 years for public safety “including but not limited to paying the costs of employing public safety officers and purchasing police vehicles and police and fire equipment, and paying any and all other costs associated with or related to such purposes.”The millage would raise just over $790,000 in the first year.
Pontiac
The city has three proposals, the first a renewal of .4826 mills for 10 years to provide services to senior citizens; the second a renewal of 1.4483 mills for 10 years “for the purpose of expending funds for centers open exclusively to youths under 21 years of age and aimed at curbing juvenile delinquency within the City of Pontiac,” and the third a 1.466 library millage for 10 years, of which a half-mill is new.The senior center millage collects about $684,000 in its first year, while the youth center and library millages will each collect over $2 million annually.
Pontiac Mayor Mike McGuinness said the city is in a period of rebuilding after years of decline, with the reduction of GM employees there from more than 30,000 to less than 1,000.”It’s exciting that after years of losing, shrinking and contracting, we are in a season of growth,” McGuinness said.
Rochester Hills
The city is proposing a renewal of one of the county’s lowest taxes and also seeking an increase for its fire department.
A renewal of .1715 mills for pathways for 10 years is slated to be used “to establish, construct, maintain, and repair pathways and surfaces for use by bicycles, non-motorized vehicles, and pedestrians along main, arterial, and collector roads, on the Clinton River Trail, Paint Creek Trail, and to create linkages to pathways and schools” and would raise more than $864,000 in its first year.
An amendment to the charter of Rochester Hills would allow the city to levy up to 3.5 mills for funding the fire department, raising an estimated $5,039,970 in its first year. This would be an increase of a half-mill from the currently authorized 3 mills, which has been rolled back to 2.7798 mills due to Headlee.
Royal Oak
Two charter amendments are proposed here. The first, if approved, would levy 4.60 mills for police, fire and emergency medical services for 10 years, with an estimated $18,081,800 raised in 2027.The second renews a 1 mill levy for five years for refuse collection, disposal and a curbside recycling program, which would raise approximately $3,930,800 when first levied in 2027.
Wixom
A renewal of 1.0645 mills for 10 years would provide funds for operating, maintaining, and equipping the Wixom Public Library and raise about $1,297,000 in its first year.
Addison Township
The township’s sole police millage expired in December. Reinstatement of 3.4874 mills is proposed for four years and would raise $1,870,953 in its first year for police protection and operations provided by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Bloomfield Township
The township seeks renewal of two millages. Approval of a road maintenance millage would authorize the levy of up to .6575 mills for 10 years, raising $3,929,885 in the first year.
Approval of a public safety millage for police and fire would authorize 1.8428 mills for 10 years, raising $11,014,437 in the first year.
Brandon Township
A renewal of 4.25 mills for eight years for police services would raise $3,521,190 in its first year for protection provided by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Highland Township
The township proposes a 6-year levy of 2.32 mills (a half-mill increase) for fire and emergency medical services, raising an estimated $2,731,774 in the first year.
Holly Township
A 1.31 library millage for four years would raise $660,000 in its first year to operate, maintain and equip the Holly Township Library, including capital improvements.
Independence Township
The township has two proposals regarding police. The first proposes 3.2 mills (an increase of .3718 mills), for four years for police services provided by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. If approved, the millage would raise an estimated $7,781,495.86 in the first year.
The second proposal would authorize a new additional millage of up to .32 mills for four years to fund school resource officers in the Clarkston Community School District. This millage would raise an estimated $778,149.59 in the first year.
Royal Oak Township
The township has two library millage renewals on the primary ballot. The first proposes 1.2834 mill for 10 years, raising an estimated $62,248 in the first year. The second is for 0.7166 mill for 10 years and raises an estimated $34,209 in the first year.
Springfield Township
The township is asking voters to renew police and fire millages. The fire millage would levy 2 mills for 10 years and raise an estimated $1,860,400 in the first year. The police millage would levy 2.9441 mills for 10 years for service provided by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and would raise $2,738,500 in the first year.
Waterford Township
Three public safety proposals, all of which are renewals and increases to “restore lost millage due to Headlee rollbacks,” are on the ballot in the township. The first levies 1.5 mills for police for 10 years and garners just under $5.1 million in the first year.
The second and third proposals are both for fire protection, with millage No. 1 and millage No. 2 each levying 1 mill for 10 years and each raising nearly $3.4 million in the first year.
White Lake Township
A renewal of 0.3603 mill for eight years for the White Lake Township Library would raise $622,000 in its first year.
Village of Franklin
A levy of 3.4 mills for five years would raise up to an estimated $1,675,121 in the first year to provide for police and would replace an originally authorized .3802 mills. The new millage would collect approximately $1.675 million in its first year. A property with a taxable value of $100,000 would be taxed $340 annually.
Four individual districts and one massive countywide school millage
Four school districts seeking operating millages may also appear on some Oakland County voters’ ballots. Almont, Northville, Oxford and Waterford all have proposals that seek to levy the statutory rate of 18 mills on non-homestead properties (primarily commercial and residential rental properties). In some instances, voters may approve a higher rate to subvert future Headlee rollbacks and keep it at 18 mills levied.
While these operating millages are typical, the ballot features one more school millage that is new to Oakland County.
A regional enhancement millage proposal would levy 1.5 mills for six years on taxpayers countywide, raising nearly $126 million in the first year to be distributed on an equal per-pupil basis among the 28 public school districts in Oakland County.
Contact reporter Susan Bromley at sbromley@hometownlife.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Oakland County tax proposals equal more than $250 million in one year
Reporting by Susan Bromley, Hometownlife.com / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Susan Bromley, Hometownlife.com | USA TODAY Network
