Commissioners ask chair to send letter asking Lapeer city DDA to stop capturing extra voted millages for veterans, seniors and EMS

Commissioner Kemp raised an additional item asking the board to request that the Lapeer city Downtown Development Authority stop capturing portions of extra voted millages that were intended for veterans, seniors and emergency medical services.

Kemp said he viewed the DDA’s current fund balance and noted the authority had reported capturing those millages since 2020. He asked the board to draft a formal letter, signed by the board chair, to the DDA director, the DDA chair, the city mayor and the city manager asking them to discontinue capturing the three extra voted millages. "I would like to see this board draft a letter, have the chairman sign it, send it to the DDA director, the DDA chairman, the mayor and the city manager officially requesting them to "—the speaker referenced the three extra voted millages and asked the board to proceed politely but formally.

Other commissioners characterized the concern as recurring, saying some villages and Imlay City have chosen not to capture similar millages and that the county has heard voter unhappiness about millage capture. A motion to draft the letter was made, supported and carried unanimously.

The meeting record does not include a response from the city of Lapeer or the DDA; the board’s direction was to prepare and send the letter requesting the DDA stop capturing the specified extra voted millages.