Council advances parks millage charter amendment to November ballot after lengthy debate

The Farmington Hills City Council voted on June 8 to advance a charter amendment to the November ballot that would replace the city’s existing parks and recreation millage with a one-mill levy beginning in 2027.

City staff and the finance director described the proposal as an effort to secure stable funding for parks and special services, to cover an ongoing operational gap in special services and to supply funds toward a proposed new community activity center. Finance staff said the change — an effective increase of about 0.5519 mills over current parks levies — would generate an estimated $2.8 million annually.

Council debate was lengthy and sometimes heated. Supporters, including Council Member Dwire, said voters should decide. "I'm going to make the motion that we put it on the ballot for November and let the residents decide," Dwire said. Supporters and the mayor emphasized the urgency of securing recurring revenue to shore up special services and the senior activity center plan.

Opponents raised multiple concerns: the city’s current high fund-balance level (staff projected an end-of-year balance near $63 million before drawdowns), the desire to preserve the city’s AAA bond rating, and the question of whether newly announced state road-funding moneys could be used to limit the overall tax burden. Several members urged first adopting a formal reserve (fund-balance) policy and analyzing offsets before asking voters to increase millage.

Council voted on a motion to adopt the resolution sending proposed charter language to the Michigan Attorney General for review. The meeting transcript records a roll-call vote: Bridges: No; Dwire: Yes; Null: No; Starkman: Yes; Aldrid: No; Bolawware: Yes; Mayor Rich: Yes (4–3). City staff and the city attorney noted that Attorney General review of ballot language is the next procedural step and that final placement is contingent on AG approval and election law requirements.

What this means: If approved by voters in November, the one-mill levy would be collected beginning in summer 2027 and provide recurring revenue for parks, special services and the proposed activity center; if the Attorney General or courts require changes to the language, the timeline or final ballot placement could shift.

Council discussions included alternative funding options (bonding, reduced drawdown from fund balance, grants and targeted budget cuts) and a proposal from some council members to pair the measure with a reduction in another millage line item so the overall millage on the tax bill would not increase. The city attorney advised such a policy commitment should be handled separately from the charter amendment language to avoid complicating AG review.