Primary ballots in Oakland County filled with local proposals – The Oakland Press

Oakland County has 24 different initiatives on the Aug. 6 primary ballot.

photo by Matt Fahr
Media News Group

Voters throughout Oakland County will have a variety of proposals on the Aug. 6 primary election ballot.

Four school districts will have bond and millage proposals, several will have library and parks and recreations millage renewals and a handful will be voting on funding for emergency services.

Voter turnout is typically low for a primary election, but Oakland University political science professor Dave Dulio said those that do vote have a stronger voice in the election.

“These local primary elections are interesting in that they often see low voter turnout,” he said. “On the one hand, one could argue that is bad for democracy. On the other, each voter who does participate has a stronger voice – i.e., 1 vote out of 10,000 cast versus 1 vote out of 1,000,000 cast.”

Dulio said voters must do their due diligence before heading to the polls on Aug. 6.

 

“Being engaged, doing your homework and voting will ensure that you have a voice on the issues that matter most to you. It can be difficult to do this; however, in elections like these,” said Dulio, who is also OU’s director at their Center for Civic Engagement. “They are low salience elections in that they aren’t on everyone’s radar screen and the candidates are usually working with very limited funds which makes it harder for them to communicate with voters.

“Voters end up having to do much more work to learn about candidates in these elections.”

Here is a look at what will be on the ballots:

ADDISON TOWNSHIP

Addison Township will have three proposals on the Aug. 6 primary ballot: a fire department capital improvement millage renewal, a fire department and advanced life support operating millage, and a renewal for the library millage.

The capital improvement renewal is for .75-mills and runs from 2025 to 2030. It will reestablish the current .71-mills required due to state required rollbacks.

The funding is for the sole purpose of providing improvements to the fire department of Addison Township and will collect $355,604 in its first year.

The fire department was established in 1949 and has two stations in the township.

The fire department and advanced life support operating millage, also reduced due to state rollbacks, would be reset at 2.25-mills ($2.25 per $1,000 taxable value). It would be combined with the existing 1.5-mills set to expire in December for a combined existing millage rate of 3.75-mills and it will be in effect from 2025 to 2028.

It would collect $1.77 million in its first year and continue fire protection services and allow the department to meet the regulations for advanced life support ambulance services.

The library is asking for approval of a .20-mill renewal of the millage that expired in 2023.

The renewal would be for 10 years and collect $85,000 in its first year.

The library opened in February of 1978, and Dawn Elsarelli is the current library director.

ALMONT

After the failure of a $58.2 million bond in February 2024, Almont Community Schools Superintendent Kimberly VonHiltmayer announced in April the district will pursue a new two-part school improvement bond proposal for the Aug. 6 ballot.

Part one will address infrastructure and asks for $22.6 million, and it would last for 15 years. Part two asks for $10.5 million and lasts for 10 years; it would cover additional instructional space and air conditioning upgrades at Orchard Primary School and Almont Middle School.

If both parts of the proposal pass, the millage rate would be 5.9 mills.

A tiny portion of the school district reaches into northeast Oakland County near Leonard, though most of the district is in Macomb County.

AVONDALE

A $150 million bond renewal for the Avondale School District will fund a “complete overhaul” of the district, according to Superintendent Jim Schwartz.

Emphasizing that it is not a tax increase, the school improvement bond would keep the current millage rate at or below 7.3 mills for the next 25 years.

“There is not a person, a student or a family in this district that is not going to be touched by this bond,” said Schwartz.

The bulk of the funding would go toward new construction projects, including a new $32.9 million, 55,000-square-foot early childhood center. It would centralize all district pre-kindergarten programs and have 20 classrooms, indoor play spaces, a kitchen and cafeteria.

“This will be one of the major projects for the district and will be a great starting point for all students in the district,” said Schwartz. “We currently have kids on a waitlist for preschool classes, and this new space can accommodate that demand.”

There will also be an addition built at Graham Elementary School, new playgrounds throughout the district, renovations at Avondale High School, $9.7 million in improvements to Avondale Middle School, and a new $6.9 million bus repair facility for the transportation department.

If the renewal passes, design work will begin this fall and construction projects will start next summer.

“Basically we are reconstructing the district and people are not paying anything more for it,” said Schwartz. “It is the same rate they have been paying and no additional cost.”

BLOOMFIELD HILLS

Voters in the Bloomfield Hills Schools district will be asked to consider an operating proposal renewing the 18-mill non-homestead millage and the hold harmless millage for a period of 20 years. The new rates would take effect when the current millage expires in 2025.

Combined, the two millage rates provide $34.3 million of  revenue to Bloomfield Hills Schools, which represents 31% of the school district’s total operating budget.

In Michigan, a hold harmless millage is a tax school districts can levy on local property owners to fund school operations. The millage allows districts to make up the difference between the state’s maximum allowance and the combined state and local revenue-per-pupil money they previously received.

The millage is first levied on homestead property, but can be levied on non-homestead property. The hold harmless millage was first approved by district voters in 1994.

The hold harmless millage is currently 5.1 mills. Bloomfield Hills Schools is decreasing the original authorized millage from 11.65 mills to 9.65 mills for the Aug. 6 ballot proposal.

“I believe it will pass because the Bloomfield Hills community understands the importance of their public education system and I believe they have an understanding of how it is funded,” said Superintendent Rick West. “All $34.3 million goes to the direct operations of the district.”

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP

Bloomfield Township is looking ahead for a renewal of its public safety millage. The current millage is set to expire in 2026, but the township is seeking a renewal at the same rate of .64-mills.

The rate would begin in December 2026 and run for 10 years providing fire, police and public safety protection for the township.

Approval of the proposal would allow collection of $4 million in its first year.

The fire department was organized in 1930 and is composed of 64 uniformed career firefighters and officers.

COMMERCE TOWNSHIP

Commerce Township residents are being asked to renew a millage for park improvements and land acquisition.

The rate of .4-mills passed in 2014 has been reduced by required state rollbacks and the new rate of .366-mills ($0.366 per $1,000 of taxable property value) is what voters are being asked to approve.

The renewal is for improving parks and acquiring land and interests in land to create new publicly owned open space within the township, and it would be in effect from 2024 to 2033.

If approved, the millage would collect $980,000 in its first year.

GROVELAND TOWNSHIP

The Groveland Township Fire Department is looking for a renewal of their 3.5-mill tax levy.

The renewal would begin this year and run through 2033 and could be levied at up to 5-mills if needed.

The department serves over 6,000 residents in the 36-square-mile township with two stations.

It would generate an estimated revenue of $1.077 million in its first year.

HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP

Highland Township contracts with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to provide law enforcement services, and it is asking voters to renew their police services millage.

The millage would be renewed at the reduced amount of 3.31-mills ($3.31 per $1,000 of taxable value) for six years, 2025 through 2030.

This provides the township with community policing, traffic enforcement and education, investigations, a school liaison officer, and a dedicated weighmaster.

The Highland sheriff’s substation is staffed with 20 deputies.

The millage would collect $3.5 million in its first year.

INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP

Independence Township residents are being asked to approve an increase for their fire and emergency services operating millage.

The new levy would increase .5-mills to 3.87-mills for four years starting in December of 2025.

Approval of the proposal would replace the current fire millage expiring in December and provide operating and capital expenditures for fire protection, emergency services and advanced life support for the township.

It would collect $9.27 million in the first year and be disbursed to the township’s Sashabaw Road Corridor Improvement Authority and the Independence Downtown Development Authority.

LYON TOWNSHIP

Lyon Township residents are being asked to approve millage renewals for police services and their fire department.

The fire department millage would renew the 2022 voter-approved levy of 2.39 mills that expired in 2023 for the next 10 years, 2024-2033, and provide revenue of $3.78 million in the first year of collection.

If approved, the department has provided a strategic plan for funding that includes:

– Hiring three full-time firefighters in 2025, bringing the total to 12.

– Promoting three full-time positions in 2025-2026 bringing line officer total to six, plus the fire marshal.

– Consideration of a third fire station to improve safety and response times.

The strategic plan also includes a schedule for vehicle and apparatus replacement and list of new equipment for the department.

For police service, residents are being asked to renew a combination of three expiring millages as one 3.42-mill levy for 10 years.

The renewed millage would collect $5.4 million in its first year to pay for Oakland County Sheriff’s Office services through their Lyon Township substation.