Oakland County taxpayers will decide on more than 40 tax proposals on the Aug. 4 primary. If they all pass, these measures would collect over $250 million in year one. A countywide school enhancement millage makes up about half that sum, spreading across all 28 public school districts.
The rest would pay for public safety services, public safety employee retirement, roads, sewers, water mains, parks, pathways, senior services, youth programs, libraries, and school operating millages. Several communities have multiple ballot questions.
Many are renewals. Others ask for new increases or want to restore funds that got rolled back under the Headlee Amendment, which forces local governments to reduce property tax millage rates when assessed property values climb faster than inflation.
Fire chiefs in at least two communities say inflation has squeezed fire departments hard, pushing the need for higher millages. Fire trucks and ambulances cost 37% to 70% more than they did six years ago, while insurance costs have jumped 52% to 69% in that same stretch.
“Everyone is dealing with these increased prices,” Auburn Hills Fire Chief Trevin Robinson said per the Detroit Free Press. “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.”