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Residents urge no on SMART bus millage and press council for transparency on taxes and facilities
Summary
During audience communication residents urged the council to oppose a proposed $570 million SMART bus tax, demanded transparency on spending and cited distrust after prior bond campaigns; multiple speakers also urged better maintenance of libraries and public facilities.
Several residents used audience communication to flag issues they want the council to prioritize. Matthew Wilk, organizer of a group calling itself "Not Smart Wayne," told the council a $570 million SMART bus tax measure will be on the August ballot and urged residents to vote it down, citing low average bus occupancy and high taxpayer subsidy. Other commenters pressed for transparency, better outreach ahead of public-safety funding measures and clearer communication after the recent bond defeat.
During the portion of audience communication that followed agenda business, many residents also addressed library maintenance and capital spending, urging the council to stop deferring repairs and to pursue strategic planning rather than emergency fixes. The issues raised by speakers overlapped with later agenda items (library HVAC and the police-station proposal). Council members acknowledged the comments and referenced follow-up steps such as committee study, EGLE review for wetlands and continued outreach.
Comments were recorded for the public record; council did not take immediate action on the SMART-related comments but heard them as part of audience communications.
