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Brighton council advances plan to place 10-year police millage renewal on ballot
Summary
City Council members signaled support to pursue a 10-year, 2.5-mill renewal of the police millage for the November ballot, and staff outlined revenue estimates, deadlines and past uses of the millage funds. No formal ballot-resolution vote was taken at the Feb. 25 meeting.
Brighton City Council members on Feb. 25 agreed to continue work on placing a 10-year, 2.5-mill police millage renewal on the November ballot and asked staff to refine ballot language and outreach materials.
City Manager (unnamed in transcript) presented proposed ballot language and a bond-counsel draft and asked council whether to proceed toward a November election. The manager said the measure would restore the millage to the level approved in 2019 and that the city must include an estimated first-year revenue figure of $1,650,000 in the ballot material.
The discussion focused on three practical items: the exact ballot wording, the length and millage amount (10 years at 2.5 mills), and timing/deadlines for filing language. The manager noted two filing deadlines staff is watching: May 13 at 4 p.m. if the city opts into an August ballot and Aug. 14 at 2 p.m. for the November ballot. Council members said they preferred proceeding toward November unless a countywide or other earlier election opportunity emerges.
Council member Gardner said she was supportive and drew on experience from the previous effort: “I did work on a subcommittee in the first millage effort…we received a lot of public feedback, and we worked that effort to align with that feedback.” Council member Pettengill said the city had seen “an incredible improvement” from the prior millage and favored moving the renewal forward.
Manager (unnamed in transcript) reviewed how prior millage proceeds and bond proceeds funded street projects. He said roughly $11,000,000 in total projects were funded with a mix of direct millage payments and bond proceeds paid by the millage; specific items mentioned included $5,100,000 for Northwest Neighborhoods and $1,400,000 for East Streets. He said some recent projects used leftover bond proceeds and that the city currently has about $1.2 million to $1.3 million in excess millage and bond funds for additional projects. The manager said one benefit of the renewal would be the ability to fund projects on a pay-as-you-go or cash basis and reduce future bonding and interest costs.
Council members asked staff to produce clearer, voter-facing language, to identify which types of streets qualify for program funds and to show before-and-after photos of completed projects for outreach. The manager and staff said they would prepare revised language, outreach materials and an eventual formal resolution for council consideration; no final resolution or binding ballot authorization was adopted at the Feb. 25 meeting.
Why it matters: The millage funds have been the principal source for resurfacing, reconstruction and associated engineering work on local streets. Council members framed the renewal as a chance to continue work and to avoid higher reconstruction costs later. Staff said if the council wants an earlier ballot option, there is time to adjust but that the current plan is for November.
There were no public comments on the millage at this meeting, and no formal council vote on ballot placement was taken; council members requested additional review and final language before a future resolution.
