In addition to voting for public offices, local residents have four proposals on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Oakland County Public Transportation Millage
A proposal to authorize Oakland County to levy a millage for the purpose of funding public transportation services in Oakland County, including operating, maintaining, improving, and expanding transit services, creating and expanding new fixed routes for bus service connecting local communities, expanding transportation services for seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities, and providing transportation to get employees to jobs, patients to healthcare, students to colleges and universities, for the general public to have more transportation options, and for related purposes authorized by law.
This millage would be levied at a maximum rate of .95 mills (95 cents per $1,000 in taxable value) for a period of 10 years beginning in 2022 and ending in 2031.
This millage would replace an expiring millage levied by the Oakland County Public Transportation Authority supporting the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), and fund replacement of other local public transportation millages.
If this new millage is approved and levied, revenue will be distributed to Oakland County, SMART, North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA), Older Persons’ Commission (OPC), and the Western Oakland Transportation Authority (WOTA). It is estimated that $66,163,000 will be collected in the first year. Expenditure of revenue from the millage will be subject to oversight by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners and to independent audits.
Clarkston – Medical Marijuana Proposal, Medical Marijuana Proposal Explanatory Caption
This amendment would authorize two provisioning centers within the city and create regulations for the facilities by adding a new Chapter 16 to the city charter.
Further, this provision would authorize marijuana facilities to operate between the hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday. It would not permit recreational marijuana sales to any adult but does allow commercial medical marijuana sales under the Medical Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act to qualified patients.
This proposed charter amendment, if adopted, would end the city’s prohibition of medical marijuana facilities and establish a local licensing system and regulatory provisions for medical marijuana facilities to operate within the city.
Independence Township Police Protection Millage
Shall the Charter Township of Independence be authorized to levy a tax limitation increase up to 2.8678 mills, reduced by the required millage rollbacks, for a period of three years, starting with the December 2023 levy, for the purpose of continuing to provide police protection and law enforcement services within the township?
In 2018, Independence Township voters approved a millage for police protection in the amount of 2.8678 mills. Approval of the above proposal would allow the Township to increase the current tax levy back to the 2018 levy amount of up to 2.8678 mills ($2.8678 per $1,000 of taxable value), which may be reduced by the required millage rollbacks beginning with the first levy in Dec. 2023. The proposal will continue police protection services within the township, which may include the purchase of equipment, operating costs, officer quarters, and personnel costs related to police and school liaison law enforcement protection. It is estimated this proposal would result in the authorization to collect up to $5,831,436.00 in the first year, if approved and levied. It is estimated that 98.27% of the annual millage revenue would be disbursed to the Charter Township of Independence for police services and 1.73% would be disbursed to the township’s Sashabaw Road Corridor Improvement Authority. The amount disbursed to the Sashabaw Road Corridor Improvement Authority is required by law and is collected solely from properties located in the Sashabaw Road Corridor Improvement Authority District.
Clarkston Community Schools – Bonding Proposal
Shall Clarkston Community Schools, Oakland County, Michigan, borrow the sum of not to exceed $197,500,000 and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefor, in one or more series, for the purpose of: erecting, furnishing, and equipping additions to, and an outdoor learning space and a storage structure at, the Junior High School; remodeling, furnishing and refurnishing, and equipping and re-equipping school buildings and other facilities; acquiring, installing, and equipping and re-equipping school buildings for, instructional technology; and preparing, developing, improving, and equipping playgrounds, athletic fields and facilities, parking areas, drives, sidewalks, and sites?
The following is for informational purposes only: The estimated millage that will be levied for the proposed bonds in 2023, under current law, is 1.58 mills ($1.58 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a 0 mills net increase over the prior year’s levy. The maximum number of years the bonds of any series may be outstanding, exclusive of any refunding, is 25 years. The estimated simple average annual millage anticipated to be required to retire this bond debt is 3.27 mills ($3.27 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation).
The school district expects to borrow from the State School Bond Qualification and Loan Program to pay debt service on these bonds. The estimated total principal amount of that borrowing is $26,620,735 and the estimated total interest to be paid thereon is $10,512,610. The estimated duration of the millage levy associated with that borrowing is 12 years and the estimated computed millage rate for such levy is 7.0 mills. The estimated computed millage rate may change based on changes in certain circumstances.
The total amount of qualified bonds currently outstanding is $146,305,000. The total amount of qualified loans currently outstanding is approximately $4,966,052.
(Pursuant to state law, expenditure of bond proceeds must be audited and the proceeds cannot be used for repair or maintenance costs, teacher, administrator or employee salaries, or other operating expenses.)
–Clarkston News Staff Reports