- A new public safety millage will be on the May ballot in Eaton County.
- I'm breaking down how much it would cost if it passes.
- Watch the video above to learn about the public safety millage.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm following up on the issue of paying for public safety in my neighborhood. and voters will see a public safety millage on the ballot next year. I'm breaking down how much it would cost if it passes, and asking neighbors what they think.
Should neighbors across Eaton County pay more in property taxes, with the money going toward public safety?
I asked neighbors in Charlotte, and as I listened, I heard different opinions.
"Well, I think that would make sense," Eaton County Resident Payge Gunderman said.
"No, I wouldn't," Gordon Doxteder said.
And voters all across Eaton County will soon be asked the same question.
That's because the Eaton County Board of Commissioners voted to place a public safety millage on the May ballot.
Eaton County Communications Director Logan Bailey says if it passes, the money would go to law enforcement.
"This public safety millage the board passed to put on the May ballot will be for two mills," Bailey said. "We're estimating that will be roughly 12 dollars a month across the county."
That's a lower cost, compared to the failed tax limitation proposal that neighbors in Eaton County voted down on the November ballot.
That proposal would have been 16 dollars a month on average for homeowners.
I know the specifics because money for law enforcement is a topic I cover a lot in my neighborhood. I was at the Sheriff's office after the November vote failed, and Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reich eliminated road patrol from 6 at night to midnight in more rural parts of the county.
The Sheriff told me he wanted to see a new millage on the ballot soon, and that's what's going to happen. Bailey says this millage is the top priority for the county.
"What that public safety mileage will do if should it pass is provide resources and funding for the Prosecutor's office and Sheriff's office to maintain staff," Bailey said.
County officials are confident this mileage can pass. I'll keep you up to date on the issue as the vote in May gets closer.
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