DIA, SMART Millage Proposals Ask County Voters to Add, Renew Taxes
Two millage proposals will appear on the Aug. 7 ballots of all Oakland County voters.
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After Oakland County voters have nominated their picks for local, county and state office Aug. 7, they will be asked to vote on two countywide millage proposals.
SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation) and Oakland County Art Institute Authority are both asking for tax dollars. SMART's .59 mills is up for a two-year renewal, while the art institute millage is a new tax that would benefit the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) for 10 years.
Although the top portion of the primary ballot is partisan, meaning voters must select all Republican or all Democratic candidates, the proposal section is separate. Even if a voter accidentally splits his or her ticket, thus invalidating the partisan portion, the proposals' section will still be counted.
Arts Authority, or DIA Millage
Although you won’t see any reference to the “Detroit Institute of Arts” or even the word “museum” in the language of this proposal, this millage is intended to benefit the DIA.
The Oakland County board of commissioners voted in May to create an Art Institute Authority that would be responsible for submitting the millage question for the August ballot and monitoring the use of funds if it passes.
If approved, this proposal would levy .2 mills on Oakland County taxpayers for a period of 10 years. The revenue from this millage would, in turn, provide financial support for the DIA.
Cost: At 0.2 mills, a taxpayer owning a home with a taxable value of $100,000 would be expected to pay approximately $20 a year. This tax would begin with December 2012 property tax bills and end in 2021.
This millage is expected to raise approximately $4.9 million in its first year (2012). In exchange for supporting the millage, residents and school groups from Oakland County would be allowed to visit the DIA anytime without a general admission fee.
Members of the art authority, who have been appointed by Oakland County commissioners and county executive, are tasked with ensuring the DIA uses the millage revenue only for museum operations. The DIA is required to submit an annual audit for this body’s review.
The following language will appear on the Aug. 7 ballot:
The Oakland County Art Institute Authority was established pursuant to Public Act 296 of 2010 and formed to allow for continuing support of art institute services for the students, residents and visitors of Oakland County. The law allows the Authority to seek authorization from the electors to levy a tax of not more than 0.2 mill (20 cents per $1,000 of taxable value) on real and personal property to provide revenue to an art institute services provider for this purpose. Accordingly, to continue providing art institute services to benefit the residents of the County, shall a 0.2 mill on all of the taxable property located within the County be imposed for a period of ten (10) years, being years 2012 through 2021? It is estimated that if approved and levied, this new millage would generate approximately $ 4,877,863.36 in 2012.
Of Interest: DIA Millage Proposal Raises Delicate Questions for Suburban Voters on Aug. 7
SMART Millage
If approved, this proposal would levy .59 mills on Oakland County taxpayers in 23 "opt in" communities to provide regular bus service. In Farmington and Farmington Hills, SMART also offers a dial-a-ride service that brings residents to either a destination or to a regular route bus.
Locally, SMART operates regular routes on 12 Mile Rd. (740), 11 Mile Rd. (400) and Grand River/M-5 from Haggerty east, including a short stretch of 10 Mile Rd. (305/330/805), along with the dial-a-ride connector service.
Cost: At .59 mills, a taxpayer owning a home with a taxable value of $100,000 would pay $59 per year. Across the SMART service area, the millage is expected to generate $16 million.
The following language will appear on the Aug. 7 ballot:
"If approved, this proposal will renew the .59 mills levied by the Oakland County Public Transportation Authority in 2010, for the years 2010 and 2011, and will allow continued support to the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) for a public transportation system serving the elderly, disabled and general population of Oakland County.
"As a renewal of the mills, which expired with the 2011 tax levy, shall the limitation on the amount of taxes imposed on taxable property in the Oakland County Public Transportation Authority area be renewed at .59 mills (59 cents per $1,000 of taxable value) for two (2) years, 2012 and 2013 inclusive, for the purpose of providing funds for the support of a public transportation system serving the elderly, disabled and general population of Oakland County? It is estimated that .59 mills would raise approximately $16 million when levied in 2012."
Review sample ballots on the Michigan Secretary of State website.
NO Dia Tax
10:25 pm on Monday, July 30, 2012
So apparently there's a BOOK detailing the misgivings of the the past century of management at the DIA. Called "Museum on the Verge" and published in 2000 by a Wayne State professor, I quote from page 207:
"It must also be pointed out, however, that the museum has become extremely reliant on the annual allocations from the state and city governments, and has made little effort to build up its own endowment in recent years."
This was from July 1983, and was quoting a study conducted by the American Associations of Museums accreditation site visit conducted by a Director from another of the Associations museums.
Some things never change.
NO Dia Tax
10:59 pm on Monday, July 30, 2012
Everything old is new again : Page 230, referencing a 1991 discussion between the DIA and the Governor's office, reacting to the news that there may be a reduction in state funds from the previous years:
"...reacted to the news by suggesting that the cuts might force the DIA to close on weekdays, reduce hours on weekends, and end tours for schoolchildren. If the comments were intended to shame the Governor into changing his position, they failed. The Governor's staff responded angrily, demanding the DIA release a complete list of staff salaries - or risk a veto of the the $9.6 million in proposed state aid. The Governor's budget chief wanted Sachs to prove the cuts would really force the DIA to close on weekdays, remarking " I believe Sachs would rather keeps the doors closed to the schoolchildren and the public and keep all his curators on board...With a staff about four times the size of the Governor's Executive office, the average citizen would be hard pressed to figure what were getting for our tax dollars aside from bloated administrative overhead and lavish opening parties" The budget head suggested the DIA was "exaggerating the impact of the cut....."
SOUND FAMILIAR ?? This was 1991. Apparently NOTHING has changed !!!