Voters narrowly approve site sinking fund for Madison Schools

MADISON HEIGHTS — When voters were asked in the general election Nov. 5 whether taxes should be raised to help maintain infrastructure in the district, a slim majority said “Yes.”

The proposal was for a building and site sinking fund that would raise their taxes by 3 mills for a period of 10 years. According to unofficial election results from Oakland County, as of press time Nov. 6, 52.88% of voters approved the measure (2,812 votes), while 47.12% of voters were against it (2,506 votes).

With its approval, the district will be authorized to levy an additional $3 per $1,000 of taxable valuation on homes in the district from Dec. 1, 2024, through Dec. 1, 2034.

The millage will provide estimated revenues of $1,005,508 during the first year. The funds cannot be used for the salaries of teachers, administrators or other district employees.

The proposal followed a separate proposal earlier this year during the Aug. 6 primary election, where voters also narrowly approved a millage renewal that adjusted the millage rate to offset automatic rollbacks caused by the Headlee Amendment.

The measure approved in August had no impact on taxes paid by homeowners in the district, affecting only non-homestead properties such as businesses. It allows the district to levy the statutory rate of up to 18 mills on all properties except principal residences.

As for the proposal on the ballot for the Nov. 5 election, officials said it will maintain the costly renovations and repairs the district has nearly completed using a previous bond issue that voters approved in November 2021. That particular bond levied 1.8 mills in its first year, and represented a zero mill increase over the prior debt millage.

In the three years since, the district has fully replaced the roof at Madison High School, installed air conditioning throughout the building, replaced its boiler, increased lighting throughout to enhance security, and upgraded the bells, surveillance cameras and public announcement system.

In addition, the district has been replacing roofing at the Madison Early Childhood Center, Madison Elementary School and Wilkinson Middle School, resulting in increased efficiency, comfort and safety for students and staff.

Earlier in the school year, the district had been working with Plante Moran Realpoint to prepare for the remaining bond-funded projects, which include replacing flooring at Madison High School and larger sections of roofing at Wilkinson Middle School.

After voters approved the bond issue in November 2021, funding was secured in 2022 when the district completed the sale of its school building and site bonds, the net proceeds of which amounted to about $11.31 million. That allowed the project to proceed.

The November 2021 bond was also structured so that taxpayers didn’t see a resulting increase in their school taxes. Even so, like the recent millage renewal in August, public reception was mixed, with nearly 900 votes cast in favor and nearly 600 against.

With the approval of the new site sinking fund, a slim majority has once again signaled its support of continuing to invest in the school district.

“I’m very thankful this passed,” said Cindy Holder, the board president. “I’m hoping this shows a vote of confidence for the work that we’ve put in. Hopefully we will be able to give reassurance to the people who didn’t support it. We understand times are tough, but we’re eager to prove this is a good investment in the safety and education of our kids. We’re hoping this is another milestone in the recovery of the district.”

Mark Kimble, who was the only board trustee not in favor of the proposal, said that he was surprised by the results.

“I initially thought it was overly ambitious — too large an increase to ask for all at once. I would have bet good money this would fail since it nearly doubles the debt load for taxpayers. But I guess that I was wrong,” Kimble said. “I just hope that we’re worthy of the faith that people have put in us.”