Safety path, senior services millages to appear on Nov. 8 ballot

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Voters in Bloomfield Township will have the chance to weigh in on two millage proposals Nov. 8.

The first is a millage renewal for the township’s safety path program. There is also a millage renewal, with a proposed increase, for senior services.

Bloomfield Township Supervisor Dani Walsh said the two millage proposals were moved to the November election to save residents the cost of a special election next year — which can be over $100,000. Walsh said placing the millages on the November ballot also allows the township to hear from more residents, since there is typically a higher voter turnout in gubernatorial and presidential election years than in special elections.

 

Safety path millage renewal
Bloomfield Township Director of Engineering and Environmental Services Olivia Olsztyn-Budry said the safety path program millage has been in place since 1998 and has been renewed by the residents since then.

The millage renewal on the Nov. 8 ballot, she explained, is a straight renewal with no increase.

If voters decided to renew the five-year, 0.4511 mills safety path program millage proposal, Olsztyn-Budry said it will fund the construction of new safety paths as outlined in the master plan, maintain the existing safety paths and update older safety paths to current Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The renewed millage, if approved by voters, would be levied in December 2024 and would result in the authorization to collect $2,287,000 in the first year. One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value.

There are currently over 70 miles of safety paths throughout the township. The original safety path master plan was developed in 1999, and it was updated in 2008 and 2018.

Since then, Olsztyn-Budry said, no additional routes have been added by the Board of Trustees.

“Just over 10 miles of safety path remain to be constructed from the master plan, but in addition to new paths, we have to maintain our existing paths, so we have a repair program, and then we also started an ADA compliance master plan to bring all of the pedestrian crossings into compliance.”

The 10.8 miles left to be constructed would cost the township an estimated $15,832,000, according to officials.

For more information about the safety path program, contact the township’s engineering and environmental services department at (248) 594-2800 or EES_Dept@bloomfieldtwp.org.

 

Senior services millage renewal, with increase
A millage renewal, along with an increase, for senior services will also be on the ballot Nov. 8.

“This millage is really a solution created by our township Board of Trustees because our original millage back in 2004 ... was the smallest millage rate for any department, and it was because we were small at that time and we were in a very small portion of an elementary building,” Senior Services Director Christine Tvaroha said.

Over time, as demand grew, the township built a dedicated senior center that offers a full range of fitness programs, a walking track, a warm water pool, 40 pieces of exercise equipment, a fitness studio, and community rooms for multi-purpose events and meetings.

“It has been a very active center, but the costs for the building were not known in the original millage, nor was the demand known, because it was almost 20 years ago,” Tvaroha said. “A lot of people have turned 50 in the last 20 years, so Bloomfield Township is continuing to be a mature community, so to speak, and the group of people aged 65 and more is going to continue to grow by another 37% in the next 10 years. Right now, 51% of Bloomfield Township houses have someone 60 years of age or older, and 41% of our households have someone 65 or older, so we are much more mature than surrounding communities, which creates demand for senior services.”

The current senior services millage of 0.2273 mills is due to expire in 2024. The proposal on the Nov. 8 ballot would increase the senior services millage by 0.1027 mills, for a new total millage rate of 0.3300 mills for a period of 10 years to be levied in December of 2024.

The millage renewal, with the increase, Tvaroha said, would finance the continued staffing, equipping and operating of the township’s Senior Center and providing of senior services in the township, including, but not limited to, adult day care service, transportation service, nutrition service, management service, and marketing and outreach services.

The renewed millage and increase, if approved by voters, would be levied in December 2024 and would result in the authorization to collect $1,673,000 in the first year.

The millage currently collected to fund senior services, according to Tvaroha, only covers 52% of operating expenses. Fees for classes, donations, grants and various fundraising efforts bring in additional funds, but Tvaroha said it’s not enough to eliminate the ongoing deficit.

“Participation in fitness programs and other types of programs like travel and history presentations starts at age 50, which most people don’t know,” she said.

For more information about Senior Services, call (248) 723-3500 or email seniorservices@bloomfieldtwp.org.

A public safety millage renewal in Bloomfield Township, which also includes a millage increase, got the green light from voters Aug. 2.

According to the unofficial results from the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds Office, the proposal passed with 8,497 yes votes to 5,062 no votes. The new replacement public safety millage combines public safety millages to levy 3.89 mills for a period of 10 years.