Wayne County officials claimed victory early Wednesday Aug. 5, thanking voters for approving a transit millage that supporters say would connect the region and bolster the economy.
As of early Wednesday morning, with 33% of precincts reporting, 66.4% of voters cast ballots in favor of the millage, according to unofficial Wayne county election results.
The millage renews public transportation for communities already in the SMART system and loops in 17 others that had previously opted out of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) system. Residents in those 17 communities will pay a new tax.
Supporters have said the proposal would allow people to access jobs and help older adults and those with disabilities travel and feel independent. Opponents argued it’d be an unnecessary expense for taxpayers and launched several efforts to push back against the millage in recent months. Oakland County filled the opt-out gaps in its SMART service in 2022.
The proposal asked voters to authorize the Wayne County Transit Authority to levy a millage to fund public transportation services in Wayne County. That includes operations, maintenance and expanding services for seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and the general public.
“We’ll roll out this expansion in phases, guided by what each community actually needs, and held to the same standards of discipline and transparency,” SMART CEO Tiffany J. Gunter said in a statement.
At .98 mills, the tax translates to $0.98 cents per $1,000 of taxable value for 10 years starting with the 2026 tax year and ending in 2035. That amounts to about $8 a month for a home with a taxable value of roughly $100,000. The millage would replace an expiring one.
The revenue would then be distributed to Wayne County, SMART, the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) and other community and regional transit providers and is estimated would generate roughly $57 million in the first year.
The money raised would go toward continuing existing services and adding services in the previous opt-out communities, SMART’s General Manager and CEO Tiffany Gunter previously told the Free Press. It would allow SMART to add eight new routes, five new route extensions and on-demand service over the course of approximately three years, though that depends on being able to get new vehicles to provide additional service.
Money generated in Detroit — about $8 million a year of the total — would go to the DDOT system. Smaller transit providers funded through SMART, such as Nankin Transit, which serves seniors, would get additional money as well to shore up services.
This would be a new tax for property owners in 17 communities not currently in the SMART system. The 26 other municipalities already in the SMART system wouldn’t see an increase in their millage rate.
Detroit is one of the opt-out municipalities, but DDOT and SMART operate buses in the city.
Robert Cramer, DDOT executive director of transit, told the Free Press in May that if the millage passed, residents would have more mobility and improved access to jobs and opportunities across Wayne County.
“DDOT remains focused on increasing the safety, timeliness and overall quality of our transit system, and would leverage any additional funding toward these shared goals,” he said in a statement at the time. “We will use input from residents and stakeholders to guide how we spend any new revenue sent to DDOT from the Wayne County millage.”
Regional public transit has been a contentious topic for years. In 2025, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a bill that ended the ability of Wayne County communities to opt out of the transit millage that funds SMART.
Which communities are not in the SMART system?
Which communities are in the SMART system?
Take a look at proposed routes here.
Reach reporter Nushrat Rahman at nrahman@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wayne County transit millage passes, county says, ending opt outs
Reporting by Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
