Oakland County proposes parks millage hike on November ballot

OAKLAND COUNTY — Oakland County voters will see an Oakland County Parks millage proposal on the ballot this Nov. 5.

In a bipartisan vote at the July 18 meeting, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners voted 16-3 to approve a resolution to place a millage proposal on the general election ballot.

“My reservations are raising the tax 70% and making it a 20-year tax instead of 10 year. I’m absolutely outraged that they would do that. It’s not good government. It’s irresponsible, and if they want to promote that to the public, they need to put in the headline, ‘this is 70% tax increase,’” Oakland County Commissioner Bob Hoffman said of his no vote. Commissioners Michael Spisz and Karen Joliat also voted no. “I support the parks,” Hoffman said. “I’ve always voted for every Oakland County Parks and Rec millage, but this one I will not vote for. This is outrageous and an insult to the taxpayers.”

The new millage would replace Oakland County Parks’ current 0.35-mill levy set to expire in 2029 with a new tax rate of 0.65 mills that would expire in 2043. If approved, the 0.3-mill increased rate would generate $24 million annually for investment in parks, trails, recreation programs and conservation. For a home with a taxable value of $133,000 — taxable value being generally half of a home’s market value — the 0.3-mill increase would equal around an additional $40 per year on top of the current cost for the same home of around $30 annually. The 0.65 mill is equal to 65 cents per $1,000 of taxable value. According to Oakland County Parks, if the millage is approved, it would generate around $52 million in 2024.

“I think everyone in Oakland County has a great appreciation for our county park system. It’s one of the most robust park systems in the entire state, and I would even go as far as across the country. This millage proposal really puts us on a course to make the needed investments today to maintain and preserve the enjoyment for folks today and long into the future,” Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairman David Woodward, D-Royal Oak, said. “For me, it really comes down to three things. This millage is going to allow for better access for everyone to our county parks. It’s going to create new recreation opportunities for all, and it’s also going to lead to more nature preservation for today and future generations.”

Woodward added that if the millage passes in November, Oakland County residents will have free entry into Oakland County parks and dog parks, excluding pay-to-play attractions, such as golf courses, waterparks, campgrounds and off-road vehicle activities.

There will also be more opportunities for recreational use of major rivers, support for larger participation in school field trips to nature and farm education centers, expanded enrichment programs for park-goers of all ages, investment in equipment and facilities designed to be accessible for all regardless of age and ability, new and expanded regional trails and improved maintenance of existing trails, and the preservation and protection of natural habitats, wetlands and green spaces.

Oakland County Parks Director Chris Ward said that the current millage was approved for renewal in 2020 to address ongoing budget constraints that led to disinvestment in the county park system.

“Things were getting older and deteriorating,” he said. “In some cases, we had to remove certain amenities. So we were in a bit of a downward spiral there that as we disinvested in things, they were less attractive for people to come to. We had less sales, which then led to greater budget constraints. We had more than $20 million in deferred maintenance projects or existing park facilities and infrastructure.”

Ward said that the increase and renewal in 2020 allowed the department to “climb out of that hole” and more than double the amount of money spent per year on maintaining existing assets.

Ward said that Oakland County received $244 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan. Oakland County Parks put together a proposal for $15 million that the Board of Commissioners approved that was centered on urban recreation and the revitalization of urban recreation spaces, which included agreements with local governments where OCP took over operating and managing existing city parklands that were underutilized because of lack of investment, as well as providing grants to Oakland County governments.

“For instance, we built a playground for Royal Oak Township,” he said. “Built a playground in Hazel Park as well. Southfield’s using some of the money to create some improvements at Beech Woods Park. Oak Park’s building a farmer’s market. So it was a combination of things, but it was all pretty much centered in the urban population centers of the county.”

The potential $100 million investment from the new millage would bring major capital improvements to improve the recreational use of all 15 parks, trails, recreational attractions and the Oakland County Farmers Market, officials said.

“What we’ve looked at here is a combination of not only maintenance but creating a system-wide update to our park system, which is going to be 60 years old in two years. We do have some major projects that need to be done to refresh those spaces to create amenities and features that are more responsive to the current needs of the public and make those spaces more attractive for people to come and enjoy.” Ward added.

He explained that the goal is to continue to partner with local governments. The Oakland County parks system will expand from 15 parks to 19 in the next two or three years with the addition of the Southfield Woods Nature Preserve at the existing Beech Woods Park; Oak Park Woods, which will take a portion of Shepherd Park; Turtle Woods in Troy; and the 100 acres south of the courthouse in Pontiac that Oakland County transferred to the park system.

“About 55% of the county right now lives within a 10-minute drive of one of our parks,” Ward said. “This partnership model, where we work together with local governments, we think has tremendous potential for us to move the dial on that from 55% to 90% in a few years by acquiring and developing new properties together.”

He added that if the millage is approved, the county parks department plans to enter into a partnership with West Bloomfield Township to collaborate on the development of Pine Lake Park and a partnership with Rochester Hills to develop Nowicki Park.

Ken Elwert, the director of parks and forestry for Rochester Hills, said the city is happy to potentially partner with anyone that’s interested in supporting its parks.

“They’ve reached out to us. … They’ve really recognized there is no more big land to purchase over here, so they can’t really fulfill a county role right here. The closest park that they have is Addison Oaks,” he explained.

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners and the county’s Parks and Recreation Department have already provided the city with $500,000 to build restrooms at Innovation Hills, and Elwert said they hope to continue supporting the city’s park system if the millage is approved.

“They are looking for a bigger partnership in the future, if that’s what the public wants and supports in a millage request they are bringing forward in November,” said Elwert. “We haven’t fleshed out the details of the partnership just yet, because it depends on what the public wants to do, but we have met and discussed it, and Nowicki Park is definitely the focus.”

Eugene S. Nowicki Park, which includes 35 acres of property in an area across from Adams High School and north of the Village of Rochester Hills, is currently a blank canvas that city officials are hoping more residents will begin to use after it’s reimagined.

“In the previous year, year and a half, we have done site plans for the various parks — Nowicki being one of them — and got a ton of input from the public as to what they were looking for. We have a draft site plan for Nowicki that has a lot of trails, a pretty nice playground and a dog park, while keeping it not really developed — lots of trails, lots of natural features, a dog park in the front, a nice playground and nice year-round restrooms. … That is the current discussion.”

Officials say the park could be home to the city’s first dog park.

“Oakland County are experts in the dog park field, having several, so we’ve already been in discussions with them about the do’s and don’ts, and their ideas about making it better, especially if the public wants this type of partnership,” Elwert added.

Ward mentioned Turtle Woods in Troy as an example of the challenges the county park system faces when acquiring new properties for nature preserves and parks. He said that currently, OCP is in the process of reapplying for a grant from the Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund, and if denied again, the millage would allow them to move forward with work at the site regardless of whether that grant is obtained. Ward also mentioned that the unpaved parking lot at Catalpa Oaks in Southfield is another great example of a major improvement needed at an existing park. Red Oaks Waterpark in Madison Heights needs more than $10 million in investments to update outdated and deteriorating facilities. He explained that the cost of public water supply for the irrigation of the Red Oaks Golf Course is more than $100,000 annually. Oakland County Parks is working to address this issue by developing a system to utilize and recycle stormwater for irrigation and aims to address the lack of sufficient parking at the park.

Since its inception in 1966 with one park of 190 acres, the Oakland County parks system has expanded to 15 parks, with more on the way. The department has more than 7,000 acres, 80 miles of trails and nearly 2 million visitors annually.

“We are always looking for new opportunities, new things that we could do to reach more people and provide a chance for people to have fun, get active and enjoy the outdoors,” Ward said.

For more information about the proposed millage, visit OaklandCountyParks.com and select the tab labeled “2024  Millage.” Residents can share their feedback by emailing info@OaklandCountyParks.com.