By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
Wyoming residents wanting to learn more about the city’s proposed income tax and millage reduction proposals will have the chanced at a series of informational meetings.
Starting tomorrow, Feb. 2, the city will be hosting seven public meetings in February, March, and April. The meetings are designed to provide information regarding the May 3, 2022 ballot proposals. The two proposals are an income tax that would be up to 1 percent for residents and up to .5 percent for non-residents. The second proposal would be for a city property millage reduction for property owners both homeowners and business owners. The millage would go from about 11.89 to 5 mills. The two proposals are tied together with both required to pass.
“It is my goal to make sure every Wyoming voter has the information they need to vote on May 3,” said Mayor Jack Poll. “The public meetings are a chance for residents and community members to learn more about the need and have their questions answered.”
The first meeting is set for Wednesday, Feb. 2, at Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW. The meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
The other meetings are:
Feb. 16, Wyoming Senior Center, 2380 DeHoop Ave. SW
March 2, Gezon Fire Station, 2300 Gezon Parkway SW
March 9, Del Mar Community Room
March 15, Godwin Heights High School, 50 35th St. SW
March 24, City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW
April 19, KDL Wyoming Branch, 3350 Michael Ave. SW
In September, the Wyoming City Council approved the two proposes to be placed on the May 3 ballot. If approved, the proposals would minimize the overall tax burden to city residents while generating an additional $6 million in revenue each year. The revenue would be used to improve public safety and parks infrastructure for residents, businesses, and visitors.
The additional funds would allow the Wyoming Department of Public 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. Many of the city’s 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 capital improvement. City officials have noted that the current parks millage does not have capacity to provide any funding for capital investment.
For more on the two proposals or to use the tax calculator, visit wyomingmi.gov/FundingFortheFuture.
