The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Public safety millage on ballot
Township voters to be asked to approve a half mill for fire, police
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 3, 2008
To maintain public safety services at their current level, York Township voters next month will be asked to support a new tax designed to generate an additional $165,000 for police and fire protection.
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The township board in February approved language for the May 6 ballot proposing a 0.5-mill tax through 2012. The new levy will be in addition to a 1-mill public safety tax voters approved in 2005 that expires in 2009.
If approved, the combined public safety tax of 1.5 mills would generate about $500,000 the first year, said York Township Supervisor Joe Zurawski, still short of the more than $770,000 the township spends on police and fire services.
The township's budget for the fiscal year, which began April 1, allots some $460,000 for police services and almost $300,000 for fire protection, Zurawski said.
The public safety funds pay for three Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputies and a portion of the costs for fire protection provided by the Saline and Milan area fire departments. The remainder of the fire protection costs comes out of the general fund.
With a budget of $1.04 million, the township spends almost 88 percent of its total tax revenue on police and fire services, Zurawski said.
The township supervisor said the additional millage was necessary to offset increased costs for police protection, which he said were raised from $99,871 per deputy last year to $149,553 per deputy in 2008.
The public safety millage approved in 2005 didn't anticipate the cost increase, he said.
If approved, the 0.5-mill tax would cost a homeowner of a $200,000 home with a taxable value of $100,000 an additional $50 a year.
In 2005, voters approved the public safety 1-mill tax 56.47 percent to 43.53 percent.
The Township Board last month approved a budget for this fiscal year outlining expenditures of $1.04 million, down a bit from last year's budgeted expenditures of $1.05 million.
Zurawski said he expects the township to break even this year, but that the township has about $174,000 in its budget stabilization fund and another $380,000 in reserve in its general fund.
Staff Writer Brian Cox can be reached at 429-7380 or bcox@heritage.com.
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