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By: Andy Kozlowski | Madison-Park News | Published August 7, 2024
MADISON HEIGHTS — A millage renewal proposal for the Madison District Public Schools was approved by voters during the primary election Aug. 6.
However, the measure does not increase the school taxes paid by homeowners — nor would it have decreased their taxes if it had been defeated.
According to unofficial results from Oakland County, across all four precincts, nearly 872 voters said “yes” (58.72%) while 613 said “no” (41.28%).
The proposal was for a routine adjustment that the school district makes to offset automatic millage rollbacks caused by the Headlee Amendment.
Per recommendations by the state, the measure allows the district to levy the statutory rate of up to 18 mills on all property, except principal residences.
For the Madison Schools, this means levying an additional 2 mills to reach the full statutory amount of 18 mills on non-homestead properties. The school district collects $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s value, multiplied by the millage rate.
“I’m thankful to the voters for supporting this proposal,” said Mark Kimble, a trustee with the Madison District Public Schools Board of Education, the night of the election.
In the run up to the election, officials repeatedly emphasized that the proposal would not affect taxes paid by homeowners either way. The millage only applies to non-homestead properties.
In effect, the measure serves as an override on the Headlee Amendment, generating an estimated $300,000 per year in additional revenue from non-homestead properties.
Patricia Perry, the district’s superintendent, previously said that while the millage renewal would not have any effect on the taxes paid by homeowners, it will make a difference in the services that the district is able to provide.
“Madison District Public Schools needs this Headlee override ballot proposal to fulfill our mission of preparing all students for the next phase of their lives,” Perry said via email.
The school district is still recovering from a costly public corruption case where a previous board president, Albert Morrison, accepted more than $560,000 in bribe money from his friend John David, and in turn awarded $3.1 million in maintenance and construction work on school properties to David’s company, Emergency Restoration, without the board’s knowledge or approval.
Morrison, who was board president from 2012 through 2018, was convicted in federal court Nov. 9, 2023, and sentenced to 45 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Morrison began his prison sentence in January 2024.
He also did not file a federal income tax in any year during his time as board president except for 2014. In this way, he avoided paying the government roughly $118,200 in taxes. Because of this, he was also ordered by the court to pay $118,200 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
As for David, he was also convicted in federal court for his part in the scheme. He was sentenced on Aug. 14, 2023, to two years in prison.
In each case, the school district not receive any compensation for the loss suffered. This made it all the more imperative that the district get its millage renewal approved.
“I’m glad the homeowners of this district understand that this is not a tax on their properties, and that it’s vital for the continued operation of our schools,” Kimble said.