Operating Millage Renewal 2024

No. This would keep taxes at their current operating rates for the non-homestead and hold harmless millage.

A bond proposal is how a public school district asks its community for authorization to borrow money to pay for capital improvements. Voter-approved bond funds may be spent on projects described in the proposal. Funds raised through the sale of bonds cannot be used on operational expenses such as employee salaries and benefits, school supplies, and textbooks. Bond funds must be kept separate from operating funds and must be audited by an independent auditing firm. 

An operating millage is just that - funds for day to day operations. The WBSD operating millage pays for:

• Teachers
• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Bus drivers
• Mental health programs
• School safety
• Educational programs

The non-homestead millage proposal is only for non-homestead properties, like commercial, business, rental properties, vacant land, and second-home property owners. This portion does not impact primary residence. The ballot measure is to renew the maximum 18 mills that may be levied on non-homestead properties.

There is no tax increase to primary residence. The 18 mills are what is called a “non-homestead” property tax. This means businesses and those owning rental properties pay this tax. The average taxpayer, who lives in the home they own, does not pay this non-homestead tax. Both the non-homestead and the hold harmless components are renewals at the current rate.

When Proposal A passed in 1994, the State set a minimum level of per pupil funding for all school districts. Some districts, like West Bloomfield, already spent more than that agreed upon minimum. So, the State allowed districts like West Bloomfield to levy a “hold harmless” millage with voter approval to stay at their funding rate per pupil when Proposal A passed.

There is no tax increase to homeowners; this is a renewal at the current levels.

WBSD would need to cut 17% of its budget for it to be structurally balanced. You see, the State assumes all school districts are levying 18 mills on non-homestead property. If we do not, WBSD would not receive its full per-pupil allocation. The operating millage is a component of the Foundation Allowance, which is the School District’s largest source of revenue.

Many people don’t realize that Proposal A fundamentally changed how schools are funded. Prior to Proposal A, all taxes raised for schools stayed local. Since Proposal A passed in the 1990s, the Per Pupil Foundation Allowance is funded by locally raised property taxes AND State school aid payments. The revenues for the State school aid portion of the Foundation Allowance are derived from a mix of taxing sources, including but not limited to, a statewide property tax of 6 mills on all taxable property, a State sales and use tax, a real estate transfer tax and a cigarette tax. The revenues for the local property tax portion of the Per Pupil Foundation Allowance are derived from a local property tax of not more than 18 mills on non-homestead property. Additionally, the few Michigan school districts like West Bloomfield School District that have a Per Pupil Foundation Allowance of more than $9,608 for fiscal year 2023/24 are authorized to levy such amount of the 18 mills (that has been approved by the voters) against homestead property as is necessary to hold themselves harmless to obtain the Foundation Allowance.  Non-homestead property does NOT include primary residences, but homestead property does.

WBSD collects its school taxes in the summer. In order for the ballot proposal to describe the millages as a renewal, the ballot proposal must be presented to the voters before the last levy of the millages on July 1, 2024. Also, because the ballot proposal is being presented to the voters on the Presidential Primary election date, the School District will not have to incur the cost of a separate election.

West Bloomfield School District Operating Millage Renewal Proposal

This proposal will allow the school district to maintain the number of mills required to be levied for the school district to receive its revenue per pupil foundation allowance and renews millage that will expire with the 2024 tax levy.

Shall the currently authorized millage rate limitation of 18.6967 mills ($18.6967 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law, and 4.6587 mills ($4.6587 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) against principal residences, qualified agricultural property, qualified forest property, supportive housing property, property occupied by a public school academy, industrial personal property and commercial personal property, in West Bloomfield School District, Oakland County, Michigan, be renewed for a period of 10 years, 2025 to 2034, inclusive, to provide funds for operating purposes; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect from combined property taxes authorized herein if the millage is approved and levied in 2025 is approximately $13,371,684 (this is a renewal of millage that will expire with the 2024 tax levy)?

https://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(jc0bpjizral3k2q4gcevy4uz))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-388-1622a

Visit the Michigan Voter Information Center to register to vote online.You can register at any time up to 8 p.m. on Election Day at your city or township clerk’s office. If you’re registering another way, your voter registration application must be received or postmarked at least 15 days before the election. For assistance in obtaining the address of your local clerk, visit:  Michigan.gov/vote.

Costs are paid for by West Bloomfield School District, 5810 Commerce Road, West Bloomfield, Michigan 48324.

Click here to see the Operating Millage Factual Mailer sent to all homes in WBSD.

Click here for a 2024 Operating Millage Fact Sheet you can easily print.