Tax proposals, office candidates face voters Aug. 5
Funding questions, taxing authority, and candidates for office will face voters in the primary election in several communities on Tuesday, Aug. 5.In Romulus, a millage question from the Romulus Community School District is the single item on the ballot while voters in Northville will decide a both a school millage question and choose candidates to appear on the General Election ballot Nov. 4. In the City of Plymouth, voters will eliminate one candidate from a field of nine seeking terms on the city commission and decide if the city can levy an additional property tax amount to fund parks and recreation in the community.
City of Plymouth voters will choose eight candidates from a field of nine, including Joe Elliott, Jennifer Kehoe (incumbent), Alanna Maguire (incumbent), Kristin McHale Johnson, Nick Moroz (incumbent), Jim Mulhern, Ronald Picard, Scott Silvers, and Karen Sisolak.
The four candidates receiving the most votes in November will serve on the commission. The top three vote getters will serve four-year terms, and the candidate with the fourth highest vote total will serve a two-year term.
Also on the City of Plymouth ballot next month is a "City Charter Amendment for Parks and Recreation Millage" proposal. If approved, the measure would allow the city to levy a new additional ad valorem property tax to fund parks and recreation.
Absentee ballots have already been mailed to Plymouth city voters on the permanent absentee ballot list. The deadline to return the absentee ballot is 8 p.m. Aug. 5. Ballots can be returned in person at Plymouth City Hall or dropped in one of the ballot boxes provided.
Registered voters in the Romulus Community Schools District will be asked to approve a $153 million bond proposal. The bond proposal is an effort to address critical infrastructure needs and upgrade school facilities, officials said. Voters will be asked to approve an initial levy of 0.35 mill in 2025 which officials said is not a net increase from the previous year. The estimated average annual millage to repay the proposed bond sale debt is 1.534 mills. Offiicals stressed that the bond will fund renovations that haven’t been made since 1999.
Informational meetings are scheduled in the auditorium at Romulus High School at 5 p.m. on July 22 and at 11 a.m. July 31. More information is available on the Romulus School District website.
Northville Public School District voters will decide on a Sinking Fund Millage Renewal Proposal on the Aug. 5 ballot. Officials said the renewal would continue to fund repairs, safety upgrades, and instructional technology for the school district. The proposal would renew the current millage rate of 0.9357 mills, with no increase to the tax rate.
The renewal would be for a period of 10 years, from 2026 to 2035 and if approved, the millage is projected to generate approximately $4,157,946 annually.
This election applies to Northville Public Schools precincts 1-6 and 8-12; Precinct 7 is part of the Plymouth-Canton School district and will not participate.
Candidates seeking to be on the Nov. 4 ballot in the City of Northville have until July 22 to file nomination packets with the office of the city clerk. Expiring terms include a 2-year term as mayor and two, 4-year terms on the city council.
While first-term Mayor Kevin Coleman is unchallenged, Westland voters will have a wide selection of preliminary city council candidates from which to choose. Twelve candidates are seeking the expiring 4 full-term non-partisan city council terms. Ten of the candidates are also seeking to serve the remaining six weeks of partial terms until the newly elected full-term councilmembers take their seats in November..
Seeking election to the four full-term council seats, three of which will be for four years and one of which will be two years, were incumbents Emily Bauman, Jim Hart, DeLano Hornbuckle and Douglas Wishart, as well as Linda Filizetti, Bradley Gray, Michael Londeau, Antoinette Martin, Lekisha Maxwell, Joshua Powell, John Sullivan and Timothy Wilhelm.
Bauman and Hart have not filed to fill the partial terms while the remaining candidates are seeking both the four full and two partial terms.
Voters will choose eight candidates for the Nov. 4 general election, where the three who receive the most votes will win 4-year terms, and the candidate placing fourth will win a 2-year term. Voters will choose four candidates seeking the partial terms to move to the November ballot and the top two will serve the brief partial terms.
Local clerks advise voters to obtain a sample ballot from their local clerk’s office, which can shorten the amount of time spent in the voting booth. State law requires voters to show photo identification before a ballot is issued. Acceptable identification documents include a driver's license or personal identification card issued by another state (current); federal or state government-issued photo ID; Michigan driver's license or State ID card (current or expired); military ID; student photo ID from a high school or an accredited college or university; tribal identification card with photo or a U.S. passport. Clerks cautioned that voters not in possession of acceptable forms of picture ID must sign the Affidavit of Voter Not in Possession of Acceptable Form of Picture Identification form before a ballot can be issued. A voter who refuses to sign cannot be issued a ballot.