Oakland County Sheriff’s Lt. Darrin Zehnpfennig listens to Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett at an emergency meeting Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, at the township municipal offices.
Max Bryan
USA TODAY Network, Reuters
Voters across Oakland County face decisions on the Nov. 3 ballot in federal, state, and local races, but in the county’s northern tier, township police and fire millages will be among the most anticipated measures.
Five townships in the county are asking voters to reconsider and renew police and fire millages that were struck down in August. Officials in these townships have said the failure to renew these millages would create significant budget and service gaps in local public safety services.
Voters in communities throughout the county will also vote on new public safety facilities, including whether to dedicate money to road repairs and to fund parks and fire equipment.
Every voter in the county will also vote on whether to continue local public funding for the Detroit Zoo.
Township police and fire millages
Voters in Orion, Independence, Brandon, Highland, and Waterford townships will decide whether to renew police and fire millages after these measures failed in August.
Orion Township voters will decide whether to renew a 3.41-mill police service tax to pay for Oakland County sheriff’s services in the township. They will also vote on renewing a 2.92-mill fire and EMS services tax for the fire department.
The millages are a straight renewal after the township placed a 3.75-mill police protection millage-restoring pre-Headlee Amendment rollbacks-and a 3.85-mill fire and EMS millage increase before voters. Voters rejected both millages in the Aug. 4 primary.
Township Supervisor Chris Barnett said the millages will provide $10 million per year for police services and the fire department, supplementing $6 million from the township’s general fund. Otherwise, the township will run out of money for police and fire in June, he said.
“We do have some fund balances in police and fire, but we will run out of money,” said Barnett.
Orion Township will also put a separate 0.4-mill tax before the voters for personnel and equipment costs for the fire department.
In Waterford Township, voters are being asked to renew a 0.88-mill fire tax and 1.34-mill police tax for 10 years. The fire tax nets the department $3 million per year; the police tax nets $4.38 million per year, according to local officials.
The renewals follow a failed 1-mill fire restoration and a 1.5-mill police restoration in August.
“If the millages don’t pass, there will be cuts and possible layoffs,” said Waterford Township Supervisor Anthony Bartolotta.
Independence Township will vote on a 3.2-mill, four-year tax for police protection services, including school resource officers. It’s greater than the current 2.83-mill tax the township has for police services.
Highland Township will vote to renew and increase its 1.85-mill fire tax to 2.32 mills for six years.
Brandon Township will vote for a 3.95-mill police protection tax for eight years.
New infrastructure taxes in several communities
Bloomfield Township, Pontiac, and Novi are each voting on new taxes to pay for roads, fire apparatuses, and police stations.
In Bloomfield Township, a proposed millage on the November ballot would raise up to $50 million to replace the township’s fire station and one of its new police stations. It would levy 0.235 mills and run for up to 20 years.
The current facilities date back decades and do not easily accommodate situations like interviewing abused children or keeping fire uniforms with cancer-causing carcinogens away from living areas, officials said.
The need for new facilities “has been a constant conversation,” Police Chief James Gallagher said.
“The further we push this down the road for our residents, the more money it’s going to cost,” Gallagher said.
Voters in Novi will decide whether to amend the city charter to include a 1-mill tax for parks, land acquisition, pathways such as sidewalks, and fire apparatuses. The bond will last 10 years and, according to the proposal, is estimated to collect $5.4 million in its first year.
In Pontiac, voters will consider a millage that would collect $75 million to maintain neighborhood roads for up to the next 30 years. The proposal estimates the millage at 3.36 mills in 2027.
The last time Pontiac had a road millage was in the early 1980s, according to Mayor Mike McGuinness.
“Our neighborhood infrastructure hasn’t seen substantial investments in decades,” said McGuinness. “While we’ve been able to secure state and federal funds for major roadways in our city, it’s up to us to provide the solution for our neighborhood roads.”
Zoo tax
Every voter in Oakland County will decide whether to continue public funding for the Detroit Zoo for another 10 years.
Voters in 2008 and 2016 approved a 0.1-mill tax to fund animal care, educational programs and maintenance at the zoo through the Oakland County Zoological Authority. The tax is up for renewal on the November ballot.
“If approved, the millage rate would be unchanged from those approved by voters in 2008 and 2016,” the proposal says.
The authority would collect an estimated $8.8 million in its first year if approved.
mbryan@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Oakland County election preview: Police, fire millage renewals abound
Reporting by Max Bryan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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Firefighter turnout gear is seen inside Bloomfield Township Fire Station No. 3 on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. John T. Greilick, The Detroit Ne USA TODAY Network, Reuters 
Hundreds of walkers participate in the St. Jude Walk Detroit on the grounds of the Detroit Zoo. Photo taken on Saturday, Aug. 29, in Detroit. Jose Juarez, Special to Detroit USA TODAY Network, Reuters
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This story was originally published October 18, 2026 at 9:01 AM.