By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Tomorrow, May 3, the residents of the City of Wyoming will be heading to the polls for two city proposals, an income tax and a reduction in city property taxes, while those in Wyoming Public Schools also are being asked to renew a $24.9 million bond proposal to renovate the Wyoming Junior High building.

The first of the two city proposals on the ballot is for an income tax that would be aup to 1 percent for city residents and up to .5 percent for non-residents such as commuters who work in the city. In the second proposal, the city is seeking to reduce the city property tax by about 58 percent, from around 12 mills to 5. Both proposals must pass to take effect.

According to city officials, the goal of the proposals is to build a more sustainable funding for the city and create equitably in sharing city expenses with those who use city services but do not live in the city while helping to reduce the cost to residents with the reduction in city property taxes.

If the two proposals pass, it would raise about an additional $6 million in funding from the city. The Wyoming City Council has said it would put $3.3 million toward its fire department, doubling the department’s current staffing from 27 to 54.

This would add about nine firefighters per shift and the city would be able to fully staff all four of its fire stations. Currently only two of the stations, Gezon and 36th Street, are fully staffed; however emergency calls are evenly distributed throughout the city, according to Fire Chief Brian Bennett. The city is broken into four fire districts with the busiest being the Division station, which is currently unmanned.

The city received about 7,155 calls in 2021, which is about 600 calls above 2020. Within the first four months of 2022, the department is already 200 calls ahead of the same time period in 2021.

The department has the highest calls per firefighter in the area. Wyoming averages about 265 calls per firefighter with the City of Kentwood averaging around 121 while the City of Grand Rapids averages 123 calls per firefighter.

About $2.1 million would go toward the police department to increase its staff by 13 officers and 1 crime analyst. According to Wyoming Department of Public Safety Chief Kim Koster, this would allow the department to increase traffic patrols. The city had 35 traffic fatalities from 2016 to 2020 and was ranked 5th in the state.

Koster said the city also has seen an increase in violent crime with calls requiring more than one officer to respond and resulting in less officers being available for traffic enforcement and neighborhood patrols.

The remaining $600,000 would be for capital improvements at the city’s parks. The current Parks and Recreation millage, which is 1.5 mills, has not been increased in more than 20 years. It is used to fund recreation programs, maintenance services, and basically facility upkeep.

“In 2020, when we received all the income from the parks and recreation millage, fees, and grants and then subtracted out all the expenses, we had about $30,000 left to roll into the fund balance for capital improvements,” Rebecca Rynbrandt, the city’s director of community services, said in a previous WKTV story.

Wyoming Public Schools

Those living in the Wyoming Public Schools district, are being asked to renew a $24.9 million bond proposal that would go toward renovating Wyoming Junior High to look like the current Wyoming High School.

According to school officials, the debt millage rate would remain the same at 5.65 mills, which is what it has been since 2016. Bond approval would not raise taxes, according to school officials.

 

Monies from the proposed bond millage will be combined with money set aside from the 2017 bond, which is about $11 million and includes $3 million for the Dan Heintzelman auditorium. If approved, renovations would include construction of a large two-story addition. The fine arts center would become a stand-alone building.

 

Voting

To check on your voting status and to see a sample ballot, visit mi.gov/vote. To vote in a city or school election, you must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the city or school district for at least 30 days, are 18 years or old, and are not serving a sentence in jail or prison. Following voter-approved election changes in 2018, Michigan residents now have the option to register in-person with the local clerk on election day. Once registered, each voter will have the choice to vote absentee or drive to the polling location to vote in person.

 

Those voting absentee must return the absentee ballot by 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 3. Ballots may be mailed or dropped off at the ballot drop box behind city hall or in-person at city hall until 8 p.m.

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters should double check their precinct location, have photo ID, and should not wear or bring any political material to the precinct.

 

For more information on voice, visit the City of Wyoming website.