I urge my fellow residents to vote no on the Nov. 7 ballot proposal to defund the Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority. Taxes currently collected and reinvested in our village through the DDA’s Tax Increment Financing Plan are at risk of being diverted to other entities.
The decision to defund the DDA would mean that the taxes we pay and that are currently benefiting our community will instead be disbursed to various external entities, including: Oakland Community College ($54,596), Oakland County ($158,915), Metro Parks ($7,575), Orion Township ($191,612).
These figures underscore a simple yet critical truth: either the DDA collects these funds and reinvests them in our community, contributing to its growth and well-being, or these resources are lost to the village forever.
This highlights the importance of maintaining local control over our tax dollars, the need to preserve the DDA’s role in our community and the advantages we have because of the DDA’s existence in our downtown.
The DDA plays a pivotal role in fostering economic development, improving the aesthetics of our downtown area and supporting local businesses.
The funds it collects are reinvested in a manner that directly benefits our village, which in turn enhances our overall quality of life and raises our property values.
Supporting local businesses, cultural events and the general attractiveness of the area ultimately makes Lake Orion a more desirable place to live, visit and invest in. Our community boasts a Flower Fair in the spring, summer concerts at Children’s Park, holiday decorations, summer Restaurant Week, Memorial Day race, winter festivals, an Easter Egg Hunt, etc. Without our DDA, events and community support will no longer exist.
By defunding the DDA, we not only jeopardize the vibrancy and charm of our community but also relinquish the opportunity to retain control over our hard-earned tax dollars.

Drew Ciora
Lake Orion resident and village business owner