tax - WKTV Journal

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Voters turned down an income tax for the City of Wyoming.

Wyoming voters voted down a proposed income tax for the city while renewing a $24.9 million bond proposal for Wyoming Public Schools.

About 16 percent of the city’s 55,999 registered voters came out for the special election that was yesterday. The city had two proposals on the ballot. The first was an income tax that would be up 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 was seeking to reduce the city property tax by about 58 percent, from around 12 mills to 5. Both proposals had to pass to take effect.

The first proposal of an income tax was defeated by 6,055 no votes to 2,824 yes votes. The second proposal to reduce city property tax received 5,381 yes votes to 3,474 no votes. Because the two proposals were tied together, if one failed the other automatically failed as well.

The city estimated that the proposals would have generated about $6 million in revenue for the city. City Council said it planned to put $3.3 million toward its fire department to added 27 firefighters, doubling the current staffing from 27 to 54. About $2.1 million would have been used to add 13 police officers and a crime analyst to the city’s police department with the remaining $600,000 for capital improvement needs for the city’s parks.

The approved $24.9 million bond renewal will go toward renovations at Wyoming Junior High School.

Wyoming Public Schools

A purple and white message in both English and Spanish on the Wyoming Public Schools Facebook page thanked the district’s voters for renewing a $24.9 million bond. The money is earmarked for renovations at the Wyoming Junior High School, which is the oldest building in the district. Formerly Wyoming Park High School, the oldest portion of the building dates back to 1926. There were additions in 1957, 1959, and 1979.

About 16 percent of the district’s 27,188 votes came out with 2,066 voting yes and 1,930 voting no.

The approved bond will be added to about $11 million in renovations already planned for the school, including more than $3 million in major upgrades to Dan Heintzelman Fine Arts Center. The $11 million comes from a 2017 bond issue.

Renovations and improvements to the junior high to be funded by the bond renewal include: modern learning environments; new furnitures; an integrated technology; adequate lab spaces and equipment; improved air quality replacement of failing building systems (such as roofing, plumbing, and electrical) to become energy efficient and meet modern building codes; and site improvements to traffic flow, aging parking lots, and athletic facilities.

Work on the junior high, which is locate dat 2125 Wrenwood St. SW, is scheduled to start in the summer of 2023.

The funding generated by income tax would allow the Wyoming Department of Pubic Safety to add 27 firefighter and 14 police positions. (WKTV)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

At its Monday night meeting, the Wyoming City Council approved two proposals to be placed on the May 2022 ballot that, if approved, could minimize the overall tax burden to city residents while providing public safety and park needs and helping to make the city more financially sustainable.

“After carefully reviewing our options, the City Council has agreed that an income tax is the most equitable way to fund these needs and ensure a sustainable economic future for Wyoming,” said Mayor Jack Poll.

The first ballot proposal would allow the City to levy an income tax on residents, business and non-residents who work in Wyoming. Under this proposal, the City would levy an income tax of .8% for residents and businesses and .4% for non-residents. This would be the lowest income tax rate charged by any city in Michigan that currently has an income tax.

According to the U.S. Census, the average median income for a household in the City of Wyoming, for 2019, was $54,328, which would pay $434.63 for the proposed income tax.

This City of Wyoming chart shows that Wyoming firefighters on average responded to 100 calls more than their counterparts in other cities. For more information, visit wyomingmi.com/FundingForTheFuture. (Supplied)

The second ballot proposal would decrease the City of Wyoming property tax millage by more than half. The current Wyoming milage rate is 11.89470 mills. If approved, property owners would see a decrease of 4.3497 mills in the summer 2022, with the rate being about 7.54 mills and an additional decrease of 2.5450 mills in summer 2023, with the rate being just under 5 mills.

According to the U.S. Census, the median price in 2019 for a home in the City of Wyoming is $127,000 with under the city’s current millage, paying $755.50. If the proposal is approved, the 2022 property millage for the home would be about $478.79, which is about a $276.11 savings. In 2023, the property millage will be $472.50, which will be $438 savings from the current millage rate.

Under the language, both proposals must be approved by voters.

“These proposals support the City of Wyoming’s commitment to community, safety and stewardship,” Poll said, adding that the Wyoming Department of Public Safety has seen an increase in the frequency and complexity of calls for service and surveys of residents have clearly illustrated a need for additional, proactive traffic enforcement and community policing. At the Sept. 20 council meeting, a resident presented the council with a petition signed by 36 residents along with letters in support of the income tax proposal because of the need for increase fire personal.

Another need, Poll noted was the city parks. Many of the parks were built between 1950 and 1970 and while the city has made great strides in developing park properties such as Ideal, Frog Hollow, Jackson, and Ideal, other parks, such as Marquette Park, are 25-years-old or more and are in need of of capital improvement. The current parks millage does not have capacity to provide any funding for capital investment.

The funding generated by income tax would allow the Wyoming Department of Pubic Safety to add 27 firefighter and 14 police positions, improving public safety by decreasing response times, enhancing crime prevention efforts and adding more proactive traffic enforcement. The funding also would provide $600,000 in sustainable annual capital invest in the city’s park system.

There are 21 other Michigan cities that levy an income tax of which four are located in West Michigan: Grand Rapids, which is 1.5% for residents and .75% for non-residents, and Walker, Muskegon, and Muskegon Heights, which all levy 1% for residents and .5% for non-residents.

For more about the income tax proposal, visit wyomingmi.com/FundingForTheFuture.