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Waterford Board approves ballot language to renew and restore police and fire millages
Summary
Trustees approved ballot language to renew and restore two fire operating millages and one police operating millage, restoring previously lost Headlee rollback millage and placing the measures on the August 4, 2026 state primary ballot (trustee vote split: one dissent on timing).
The Waterford Township Board on April 13 approved ballot language to return to voters renewing and restoring previously reduced millages for the Fire and Police Departments.
The Board approved two Fire Operating millage proposals (Millage #1 and Millage #2), each structured to restore the rate to the original voter-approved 1.0000 mills (the restoration portion addresses millage lost under the Headlee rollback). The Board also approved language to restore Police Operating Millage #2 to 1.5000 mills (1.3352 renewal + .1648 restoration). All measures were described in staff recitals as 10-year renewal-and-restore questions with the first levy in December 2026 for use in 2027.
Fire Chief Matthew Nye told trustees the two fire millages together support roughly $7 million of Fire Department funding and that the department’s total budget is just over $28 million; about $12 million covers the Pontiac Protection Contract. Police Chief Underwood explained that Police Millage No. 2 historically provided more than $4.3 million and accounted for roughly 23% of the police budget; the Headlee rollback reduced the authorized rate and the restore portion would recapture that lost fraction.
Trustee Sam Harris opposed placing the measures on the August primary ballot and asked for additional presentations by the chiefs and consideration of the November ballot date; the majority voted to place the millage language on the August 4, 2026 primary ballot. For the fire millages the roll-call vote was Yeas: Bartolotta, Markee, Thomas, Gilbert, Hauswirth, Wall; Nay: Harris. The police millage resolution passed on the same split vote.
If the proposals are approved by voters they will be levied for ten years and will be used for staffing, maintenance and operations of the respective public-safety departments. Staff provided an example cost: for a home with a taxable value of $95,649 the combined first-year cost of the two fire millages would be about $191.30, an increase of $21.79; the police millage first-year estimate was shown as approximately $143.47 for the same taxable value (an increase of $15.76). The resolutions instruct the Township Clerk to place the language on the August primary ballot.
Speakers paraphrased or cited in this article participated in the April 13 meeting; no binding appropriations were adopted in this session — the Board approved ballot placement only. The measures require voter approval to take effect.
