Property taxes could be increasing in Oxford Township, but only if the voters want them to.
Last week, the township board voted 4-2 to place a 10-year, 0.25-mill safety path tax on the Aug. 5 primary ballot.
Treasurer Joe Ferrari was in favor of putting it to the people to ‘let them decide which way they’d like to go? just like the township did with the failed senior center bond/millage in 2006.
If approved, the millage would be used to maintain and replace existing safety paths. It would also be spent on acquiring property and constructing new paths.
Equal to 25 cents for every $1,000 of a home’s taxable value, the millage would run from December 2008 through December 2017.
It’s expected to generate $221,427.87 in its first year of levy, if approved.
The township’s Safety Path Master Plan calls for constructing an additional 46,500 feet (or 8.8 miles) in asphalt safety paths along W. Drahner, Seymour Lake, Granger, Dunlap, Ray and Oxford roads along with a path connecting the POH Medical Center to W. Market St. in Waterstone.
Supervisor Bill Dunn voted against placing the millage on the ballot due to the poor state economy, which has led to many job losses and home foreclosures.
‘I just think it’s a terrible time to put this on,? he said. ‘God bless the people that can afford to pay that extra money, but there’s a lot of people out there hurting.?
‘If we waited another year or two, when the economy turned, I wouldn’t have a problem,? Dunn noted. ‘But I do have problem right now.?
Planning Commissioner Lawrence Kucemba, who helped draft the proposed safety path millage, urged officials to ‘put it up for a vote? and ‘let the people decide.?
‘If they don’t want it, then let it fail,? he said.
But Dunn noted, ‘If it does pass, it’s going to put an undue burden on people that can’t afford it.?
Officials also voted 6-0 to put the millage renewal for Oxford Township Parks and Recreation on the Aug. 5 ballot.
If approved, the proposed 0.8538-mill tax would be levied from December 2010 through December 2019.
Equal to approximately 85 cents for every $1,000 of a home’s taxable value, the millage is expected to generate $756,220.45 in its first year of levy.
Parks and Rec. Director Ron Davis stressed this is simply a millage renewal and not a tax increase.
Last year, the department derived $651,000 of its $1.2 million budget from its voter-approved millage. The rest came from user fees and facility rentals.