New ballot language with a shorter millage life was approved by the Addison Township Board Monday night as officials voted unanimously to place another police millage proposal on the November ballot.
‘We just have to get it passed. That’s the main thing,? said Treasurer Dan Alberty. ‘We need a police force. We need the sheriff’s department here.?
Officials approved ballot language asking voters to pass a four-year, 3.5-mill tax for police protection. If approved, the money would be used to pay for the township’s existing service contract with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.
Township attorney Bob Davis helped the board draft wording which balanced state legal requirments concerning ballot language with local officials? desire to make it ‘more reader-friendly.?
By a margin of 435-365, Addison voters failed an eight-year, 3.5-mill police tax proposal in the Aug. 8 primary election.
Davis stressed this new proposal, like the old one, is at once both ‘a replacement and an increase? of the police millage.
‘You’ve got to try to drive those points home,? he said.
Voters are being asked to replace the two previous police millages, both of which expired in December 2005.
In 1986, voters approved a 2.5-mill tax for police. They passed a second police tax for 1 mill in 2002.
With both of those millages gone, Addison now has no dedicated funding in place for police protection after March 2007.
So, this proposed 3.5 mills on the November ballot would be ‘the only police millage,? according to Davis.
‘It will be the sole police millage,? Davis stressed.
The increase comes in because when the millages were last levied in December 2005, the Headlee Amendment had reduced them to a total of 2.8750 mills.
With the previous police millages now expired, voters are being asked to start over by approving the original 3.5-mill rate, now combined into one millage.
A 3.5-mill rate is higher than the 2.8750-mill rate last levied, hence the increase.
‘Do you have to have increased (in the language)? Can’t it just be replaced?? asked Trustee Christine Sypitkowski.
‘The word increase is the legal term that you find in the ballot language requirements,? Davis replied. ‘Because that’s what you’re doing technically under the law.?
Although the ballot will ask voters to approve 3.5 mills, Alberty noted, ‘We’re not going to go and assess the full millage.?
‘This board is reasonable enough to only assess for the next year what we’re going to use,? he said. ‘We won’t assess for the first year (or) two the full 3.5 mills. I’m sure.?
Uncertainty over future costs and concern that 3.5 mills might not be enough to fund the police for eight years caused some board members to advocate shortening the life of the millage to four years.
‘It’s hard to tell with eight (years) because once again we don’t know what increases may come in,? said Supervisor Bob Koski. ‘If the increases in the (sheriff’s) contract continue to go up, we might not have enough money at that time.?
Alberty felt ‘comfortable? that the 3.5 mills ‘will cover us? for eight years. He noted the only ‘downside? to a shorter millage life is ‘having to go through this again in four years.?
Trustee John Sutphin, who favored four years, said, ‘I think we should follow the numbers a little bit closer.?
‘I think we owe that to the taxpayers,? he said.
Alberty wished to clarify that, if passed, the millage money ‘is for police protection? in general.
Even though the township contracts with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department now, it does not automatically mean that’s the only agency the money can be spent on.
‘Whatever happens in the future, this money would not just be dedicated to the sheriff’s department,? he said.
That being said Alberty noted, ‘I don’t plan on doing anything different.?
Using the police departments in Oxford Village and Lake Orion as hypothetical examples, Koski said the money could be used to contract with surrounding law enforcement agencies.
‘Believe me there’s no ideas along these lines,? the supervisor said. ‘There’s no talk about those. Don’t go getting any idea that there is.?