Ballot Proposals Facing Trenton Residents Not Trenton Issues

Trenton residents will be voting on issues that don't directly affect the City of Trenton on Tuesday, Aug. 7.

There are three proposals on the upcoming ballot and each deals with issues affecting either Wayne County or a neighboring community. There are two proposals for of Wayne County and one proposal for the Riverview Community School District.

The Wayne County ballot proposals request a millage for the Detroit Institute of Arts or the Wayne County Art Institute Authority Millage and a renewal of a millage for county jails -- or Proposition J.

The proposals read:

• The Wayne County Art Institute Authority was established pursuant to Public Act 296 of 2010 and formed to allow for continuing support of art institute services for the students, residents and visitors of Wayne County. The law allows the Authority to seek authorization from the electors to levy a tax of not more than 0.2 mill (20 cents per $1,000 of taxable value) on real and personal property to provide revenue to an art institute services provider for this purpose. Accordingly, to continue providing art institute services to benefit the residents of the county, shall a 0.2 mill on all of the taxable property located within the county be imposed for a period of ten (10) years, being years 2012 through 2021? It is estimated that if approved and levied, this new millage would generate approximately $8,284,722 in 2012. Yes ( ) No ( )
• To renew the millage authorized in 2002, shall Wayne County be authorized to continue to levy this millage at the 2011 rollback rate of .9381 mills (about 94 cents per thousand dollars of taxable valuation) for ten more years (2012 through 2021) for any of the following previously authorized uses: To acquire, construct and or operate jail, misdemeanant or juvenile incarceration or detention facilities, and for adult penalty options such as work release, home detention and community restitution; with at least one-tenth of the millage used to acquire, build and operate a juvenile offender work/training institution? This renewal is estimated to generate at least $38,859,493 in property tax revenue in 2012. Yes ( ) No ( )

The Riverview Community School District is requesting a bond to improve district buildings for the second time. Trenton residents voted down the issue in February.

The official proposal is loo long to list here. In summary, the proposal requests Trenton residents living north of King Road and east of Fort Street and in the Riverview School District pass a bond issue for district schools.

If passed, a 30-year, 7.32-mill bond is expected to generate about $43.3 million to update five district buildings including Riverview High School, Seitz Middle School and Forest, Huntington and Memorial elementary schools.

If approved, it will cost the average homeowner in North Trenton about $260 a year for 30 years, according to City Assessor John Dahlquist.

Trenton residents in the Rivervew school district will also be asked to vote yes or no.