Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Three millage requests will greet voters in Green Oak Township in November’s General Election.

In the August Primary Election, a general millage request failed to pass for the township but millage renewals for the police and fire departments both passed.

That general millage request had components for the township, as well as both departments. It has now been split up, resulting in the three separate proposals appearing on the November ballot.


TOWNSHIP MILLAGE:

Among some of the feedback noted from residents and business owners regarding the failed August proposal was that it was confusing, why so long at 20-years, and why combine the three.

Supervisor Mark St. Charles told WHMI the request is mostly related to a huge increase in election-related costs due to the voter passage of Proposal 2. The new request is related to Headlee Rollback and would bring the township back up from .7999-mill to collecting a full 1-mill. The proposal is for .21-mills and equates to 21-cents per $1,000 of taxable value for homeowners. For a $200,000 home, St. Charles say it translates to a $20.01 increase.

Since the changes in the 2022 November election from Proposal 2, St. Charles said numbers through the most recent revenues and expense report show they had an increase just due to elections of $277,143. He stressed it is all costs they’ve never had before attributed to elections.

St. Charles noted the cost of the nine days of early voting really starts to eat away at the budget, because you have to pay election workers and have appropriate staffing – especially if you consider four elections in one year. Also driving up costs was the installation of drop boxes for absentee ballots, which had to have a camera recording 24-7. St. Charles said they also had to install lighting, coupled with the security systems for both drop boxes. The township must also rent generators and associated equipment for the upcoming election due to power outages.

St. Charles noted that per law, there is also a fine line for municipalities in that they can’t promote ballot measures but are able to educate voters.

In September, St. Charles and Clerk Michael Sedlak appeared on a Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce podcast to discuss the millage. That link is provided.


FIRE DEPARTMENT:

The Fire Department millage proposal is .61-mills for 6 years. It would provide funding for capital expenses and the replacement of aging fire apparatus. Chief Kevin Gentry said for the average homeowner, the request would cost around $122 per year.

Gentry told WHMI the request involves replacing aging apparatus – in particular a 1994 tanker truck (30 years old) at the Grand River station and a 2000 rescue truck (24 years old). He said both are “on their proverbial last legs” and there are issues with the frames on both, among other issues, and it’s increasingly hard to get parts given their age. Those would be replaced almost immediately, with the next down the line being a 17-year-old engine. However, given how long it takes to order an apparatus, Gentry said it would likely be replaced around the 21-year mark.

Gentry said costs have gone through the roof since COVID, and the millage request is limited to capital funds - almost exclusively for fire apparatus replacements.

Gentry stressed they’ve tried to be very good stewards of the funds entrusted to them and the department now responds to around 2,400 calls a year. He said they appreciate the support and hope voters are willing to support the purchase of apparatus that have long outlived their useful service life.

If the millage passes, Gentry said they will be able to update their fleet to the point where all apparatus is within its useful service life and continue to cover the township from all three stations with appropriate response levels.


POLICE DEPARTMENT:

The Police Department millage request is 1-mill for 6 years and will be mostly dedicated to hiring needed additional police officers in the busy, growing community.

Chief Steven Kramer told WHMI the cost would be around $100 per year for $100,000 worth of taxable value. If approved, the majority of funds would go toward hiring officers and offset the additional costs associated with those. Kramer said the department currently has 17 sworn officers – which has only increased by 2 police officers since 2010 or (13%). The millage would provide for an additional six officers - generally adding one per shift.

The millage would be used to add up to six police officers generally adding one per shift, fund the accreditation program to hold the department to the highest standard, purchase equipment such as patrol vehicles and body armor, and support the department’s body-worn camera and in-car camera system.

Kramer said the department has seen a dramatic increase in call volume – just in automobile crashes alone. He said issues arise when they get calls for service, especially priority calls - which means all officers on duty are tied up with the call and it doesn’t leave others to respond to other incidents. He added that the daytime population in vehicles and people working or shopping has grown tremendously and they just haven’t been able to offset that demand for services with the amount of police officers.

Since 2010, calls for service have gone up 49% - with Kramer noting automobile crashes were up 144% during that same time. Last year, officers responded to 780 traffic crashes alone. Kramer said the bottom line is they need more officers to be able to provide the level of service people expect and deserve. In addition to road patrol, the new officers would be assigned to traffic and community liaison.


St. Charles, Gentry, and Kramer all encouraged anyone with questions to contact them. They will be future guests on WHMI’s Viewpoint program, which can be accessed in the “podcast” section of our website.