While the bulk of Aug. 4 voting focused on primary voting for each party, there were several important millages on the ballot as well. The ballot proposal for a Sumpter Township police millage renewal did not pass, with 57% voting no, but a Wayne County transportation millage was approved.
A release from the Sumpter Township Police Department noted that the loss of all millage funding has reduced the department’s operating funds by over 40%.
“As you can imagine, this is devastating to our ability to provide the level of police services that you, our residents, expect and deserve,” the statement read. “In the coming days and weeks, the township Board will determine how to proceed.”
The Independent reached out to Sumpter Police Chief Eric Luke who said the department would have to “figure out the best way forward soon, which will likely result in another ballot question in November.
The last millage increase request of 1 mill went before the voters 15 years ago, in August 2010. Before that, the department were operating on 2 mills, and that 1-mill increase, which took effect in 2011, brought the department to 3 mills they’ve been operating under until last year, Luke says.
“That’s why each time those 3 mills have come up for renewal since then, in 2016 and again in 2022, they’ve been on two ballot questions. The first ballot question was renewal of the 2 mills, and the second was renewal of the 1 mill,” Luke says. He says separating them is necessary for them to be labeled as “renewals” but says he believes that may also have contributed to voter confusion.
“What most people don’t realize is that very little of the property tax revenue comes back to local municipalities, at least in common-law townships like Sumpter. The vast amount goes to schools, county operations and jail, and other regional millages such as Metroparks, WCCCD, RESA, the Detroit Zoo, SMART, etc.”
Luke says he doesn’t have current numbers, but research in preparation for the 2022 renewal showed that only 13% of each property tax dollar came back to Sumpter.
Luke says all township departments, not just police, have seen a “never-ending onslaught of rising costs.”
He says that the set royalty fund payments from the Carleton Farms landfill, which have been at approximately the same amount for 15-20 years or more at around $2 million per year, means that available “non-millage generated” funds for operations, not just for police, but DPW and other township operations, lose more and more ground each year.
“Without the landfill royalties, the township would be hard-pressed to provide many services, let alone police services, without voter-approved millages to bridge the gap,” Luke says. “I am confident in saying that for those who, like us, utilize millages, we are (or were) one of the lowest, if not the lowest, police operation mileage rates in Wayne County.
Based on information provided by the Conference of Western Wayne, out of 37 municipalities, Sumpter had the third-lowest police operating budget at $3.4 million.
Luke says he thinks a millage will have to go back on a future ballot because the department “can’t survive” without any millage money at all and describes operations as “barely hanging on” when they were operating with the fund from just the three mills.
“With 18 officers to service approximately 12,500 residents, we’re covering a lot with the budget we have, something I and the department are very proud of,” Luke said. “The township board will soon decide the path they wish to take. In the meantime, we will continue to serve our residents at the highest level, with honor, dedication, and integrity.”
On the other hand, Wayne County voters approved a transportation millage proposal 67% to 33%. The millage will generate revenue to expand mass transit in Wayne County, including 17 communities that previously opted out. Van Buren Township is one of the affected communities.
Other results:
In the primary for Governor, Republican John James defeated Perry Johnson, while Democrat Jocelyn Benson won with more than 85% of votes in her race against Chris Swanson.
In the U.S. Senate primary, Abdul El-Sayed won over Rep. Haley Stevens by less than 1% (740,963 for El-Sayed vs. 726,065 for Stevens). Republican Mike Rogers is running unopposed.
State Senator Darrin Camilleri ran virtually unopposed for the Democratic primary, with less than 1% going to a write-in candidate. The same was true for Republican candidate Marcie Grzywacz in her primary for state senator.