Monday, April 06, 2015

Please Remember to Vote May 5

These are  the proposals that will be voted on in Wayne County. A no vote is particularly necessary for taxpayers for the State Proposal and those of Lincoln Park and City of Wayne.






Page 1 OFFICIAL LIST OF PROPOSALS 05/05/2015 MAY CONSOLIDATED WAYNE COUNTY

STATE PROPOSAL
PROPOSAL 15-1
A proposal to amend the State Constitution to increase the sales/use tax from 6% to 7% to replace and supplement reduced revenue to the School Aid Fund and local units of government caused by the elimination of the sales/use tax on gasoline and diesel fuel for vehicles operating on public roads, and to give effect to laws that provide additional money for roads and other transportation purposes by increasing the gas tax and vehicle registration fees.
The proposed constitutional amendment would:
• Eliminate sales / use taxes on gasoline / diesel fuel for vehicles on public roads.

• Increase portion of use tax dedicated to School Aid Fund (SAF).

• Expand use of SAF to community colleges and career / technical education, and prohibit use for 4-year colleges / universities.

• Give effect to laws, including those that:

o Increase sales / use tax to 7%, as authorized by constitutional amendment.

o Increase gasoline / diesel fuel tax and adjust annually for inflation, increase vehicle registration fees, and dedicate revenue for roads and other transportation purposes.

o Expand competitive bidding and warranties for road projects.
o Increase earned income tax credit.

Should this proposal be adopted?


Page 2 OFFICIAL LIST OF PROPOSALS 05/05/2015 MAY CONSOLIDATED WAYNE COUNTY
CITY OF LINCOLN PARK PROPOSALS
CITY OF LINCOLN PARK POLICE OFFICERS AND FIRE FIGHTERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM PROPOSAL
Shall the City of Lincoln Park, County of Wayne, Michigan, be authorized to establish a retirement system for the benefit of police officers and fire fighters, create a pension board, and levy taxes annually in amounts sufficient to fund the system, all in accordance with the provisions of Michigan Public Act 345 of 1937, as amended? This proposal shall not become effective unless the electors also approve an amendment to Chapter XVII of the City Charter authorizing cessation of the existing pension system and transfer of its assets to the new Act 345 pension system.
PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT SECTION 1 OF CHAPTER XVII OF THE CITY OF LINCOLN PARK
Shall Sec. 1 of Chapter XVII of the City Charter of the City of Lincoln Park be amended to provide for the transfer of all assets of the existing Policemen’s and Firemen’s Retirement system to a new retirement system established pursuant to Michigan Public Act 345 of 1937, as amended, the cessation of the existing retirement system, and dissolution of the existing retirement board? This amendment shall not become effective unless the electors also approve of the establishment of a new Act 345 pension system.



CITY OF WAYNE PROPOSALS
PROPOSAL NO. 1
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO SECTIONS 19.1 AND 19.3 OF CHAPTER 19 OF THE WAYNE CITY CHARTER
Shall Chapter 19 of the Charter of the City of Wayne be amended so that police officers and firefighters are excluded from the retirement system established by the City Charter, effective with the 2015-2016 fiscal year, and instead become members of a separate retirement system under 1937 PA 345, as amended, and that accumulated contributions to the current employee's retirement system made by or on behalf of such officers be transferred to the Act 345 retirement system? This charter amendment shall not be effective unless the electors approve the establishment of a separate retirement system under said Act 345.
PROPOSAL NO. 2
PROPOSAL TO ADOPT AN ACT 345 RETIREMENT SYSTEM FOR POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS
Shall the City of Wayne, Wayne County, Michigan, be authorized to establish a separate retirement system pursuant to Act 345 of 1937, as amended, for the benefit of police officers and firefighters employed by the City, create a board of trustees to manage and operate the system, and be authorized to levy a new tax annually in an amount sufficient to fund the system in an actuarially sound manner, but not to exceed 3.00 mills in any year on each dollar ($3.00 per $1,000) of the taxable value of all property in the City, for a period of 5 years, all contingent upon the approval by the electors of a City Charter amendment authorizing the transfer of police officer and firefighter members from the current employee's retirement system to the new system created under Act 345?
It is expected that approximately 3 mills will be levied in 2015 and will raise the sum of approximately
$1,068,000.00.



Page 3 OFFICIAL LIST OF PROPOSALS 05/05/2015 MAY CONSOLIDATED WAYNE COUNTY
GROSSE ILE TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS PROPOSALS
GROSSE ILE TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS
BOND PROPOSAL
Shall the Grosse Ile Township Schools, County of Wayne, Michigan, borrow the principal sum of not to exceed Seven Million Four Hundred Thirty-Five Thousand Dollars ($7,435,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds for the purpose of defraying the cost of:
· equipping, furnishing, reequipping and refurnishing School District buildings and acquiring buses;
· acquiring and installing technology infrastructure and equipment; and
· improving and developing sites, including playgrounds, structures and outdoor athletic facilities?

The estimated millage to be levied in 2015 to service this issue of bonds is 0.51 mills ($0.51 per $1,000 of taxable value) and the estimated simple average annual millage rate required to retire the bonds of this issue is 1.69 mills ($1.69 per $1,000 of taxable value). The debt millage levy is currently estimated to be 5.69 mills, or .2528 mill over the 2014 levy. The bonds shall be payable in not to exceed ten (10) years from the date of issue. The School District currently has $20,020,000 of qualified bonds outstanding and $0 of qualified loans outstanding under the State School Bond Qualification and Loan Program. The School District does not expect to borrow from the program to pay debt service on these bonds. The estimated computed millage rate may change based on changes in certain circumstances.
Under State law, bond proceeds may not be used to pay teacher, administrator or other employee salaries, routine maintenance costs or other School District operating expenses.



GROSSE ILE TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS
SINKING FUND REPLACEMENT PROPOSAL
This proposal would replace the existing operating millage authority of the Grosse Ile Township Schools approved by voters in 2010 and which would otherwise expire with the 2015 levy to levy a sinking fund millage.
As a replacement of existing authorization which would otherwise expire with the 2015 levy, shall the Grosse Ile Township Schools, County of Wayne, Michigan, be authorized to levy 0.75 mill ($0.75 per $1,000 of taxable valuation) to create a sinking fund for the purpose of the construction or repair of school buildings and the improvement and development of sites, including the replacement of interior doors and hardware, the replacement of lighting with energy efficient LED lighting, brick work repairs and any other purpose permitted by law, by increasing the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be imposed on taxable property in the School District for a period of five (5) years, being the years 2015 to 2019, inclusive? It is estimated that 0.75 mill ($0.75 per $1,000 of taxable valuation) would raise approximately $ 427,064 in the first year that it is levied.
(Under state law, sinking fund proceeds may not be used to pay teacher or administrator salaries.)



Page 4 OFFICIAL LIST OF PROPOSALS 05/05/2015 MAY CONSOLIDATED WAYNE COUNTY
NORTHVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROPOSAL
MILLAGE RENEWAL PROPOSAL
BUILDING AND SITE SINKING FUND TAX LEVY
Shall the currently authorized millage rate of .9978 mill ($.9978 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) which may be assessed against all property in Northville Public Schools, Wayne, Oakland and Washtenaw Counties, Michigan, be renewed for a period of 5 years, 2016 to 2020, inclusive, to continue to provide for a sinking fund for the construction or repair of school buildings and all other purposes authorized by law; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2016 is approximately $2,588,047 (this is a renewal of millage which will expire with the 2015 tax levy)?



RIVERVIEW COMMUNITY SCHOOLS PROPOSALS
I. SCHOOL BONDING PROPOSAL

Shall Riverview Community School District, Wayne County, Michigan, borrow the sum of not to exceed Nineteen Million Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars ($19,900,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefor, in one or more series, for the purpose of:
partially remodeling, furnishing and refurnishing, equipping and re-equipping school facilities; erecting, furnishing and equipping additions to the high school, in part, for cafeteria, kitchen and office spaces; acquiring, installing and equipping instructional technology for school facilities; constructing and equipping a pre-school playground; and developing and improving sites?
The following is for informational purposes only:
The estimated millage that will be levied for the proposed bonds in 2015, under current law, is 3.38 mills ($3.38 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a net increase of 2.80 mills. The maximum number of years the bonds may be outstanding, exclusive of any refunding, is thirty (30) years. The estimated simple average annual millage anticipated to be required to retire this bond debt is 5.28 mills ($5.28 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation).
The school district expects to borrow from the State School Bond Qualification and Loan Program to pay debt service on these bonds. The estimated total principal amount of that borrowing is $1,665,921 and the estimated total interest to be paid thereon is $451,099. The estimated duration of the millage levy associated with that borrowing is 30 years and the estimated computed millage rate for such levy is 7.00 mills. The estimated computed millage rate may change based on changes in certain circumstances.
The total amount of qualified bonds currently outstanding is $5,605,000. The total amount of qualified loans currently outstanding is approximately $-0-.
(Pursuant to State law, expenditure of bond proceeds must be audited, and the proceeds cannot be used for repair or maintenance costs, teacher, administrator or employee salaries, or other operating expenses.)



Page 5 OFFICIAL LIST OF PROPOSALS 05/05/2015 MAY CONSOLIDATED WAYNE COUNTY
RIVERVIEW COMMUNITY SCHOOLS PROPOSALS (cont’d)
II. SCHOOL BONDING PROPOSAL
Shall Riverview Community School District, Wayne County, Michigan, borrow the sum of not to exceed Four Million Seven Hundred Thirty Thousand Dollars ($4,730,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefor, in one or more series, for the purpose of:
erecting, furnishing and equipping additions to and partially remodeling, furnishing and refurnishing, equipping and re-equipping the middle school for swimming pool improvements; remodeling, furnishing and equipping the high school pool area into a new multi-purpose use; acquiring, installing and equipping technology for the middle school swimming pool; and developing and improving sites?
The following is for informational purposes only:
The estimated millage that will be levied for the proposed bonds in 2015, under current law, is .79 mill ($0.79 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation). The maximum number of years the bonds may be outstanding, exclusive of any refunding, is thirty (30) years. The estimated simple average annual millage anticipated to be required to retire this bond debt is 1.18 mills ($1.18 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation).
The school district does not expect to borrow from the State to pay debt service on the bonds. The total amount of qualified bonds currently outstanding is $5,605,000. The total amount of qualified loans currently outstanding is $-0-. The estimated computed millage rate may change based on changes in certain circumstances.
If both Proposal I and Proposal II pass, the school district expects to borrow from the State School Bond Qualification and Loan Program to pay debt service on these bonds. The estimated total principal amount of that borrowing is $2,600,482 and the estimated total interest to be paid thereon is $2,723,190. The estimated duration of the millage levy associated with that borrowing is 30 years and the estimated computed millage rate for such levy is 7.55 mills. The estimated computed millage rate may change based on changes in certain circumstances.
(Pursuant to State law, expenditure of bond proceeds must be audited, and the proceeds cannot be used for repair or maintenance costs, teacher, administrator or employee salaries, or other operating expenses.)



VAN BUREN PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROPOSAL
MILLAGEPROPOSAL
BUILDING AND SITE SINKING FUND TAX LEVY
Shall Van Buren Public Schools, Counties of Wayne and Washtenaw, State of Michigan, create a sinking fund for the purpose of construction or repair of school buildings and the improvement and development of sites and for any other purpose which may be authorized by law, and be authorized to levy not to exceed 1.13 mills ($1.13 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a period of seven (7) years, 2016 to 2022 inclusive? This levy would renew the sinking fund levy previously authorized by the voters in 2008 for an additional seven (7) years. It is estimated that the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in the 2016 calendar year shall be approximately

$1,715,961 from the local taxes authorized in this proposal. A portion of the revenue collected may be subject to capture by the Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority.