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WEST BLOOMFIELD — This November, voters are slated to have an opportunity to vote on matters that have both local and national implications.
One of the big decisions that local residents have to make is whether to approve a proposal put forth by the West Bloomfield Township Public Library.
The Library Millage Repeal and Replace Proposal is asking voters whether they want to repeal the previous library millage authorization of 0.6586 mills, which was approved in 2010 and is set to expire in 2026, and replace it with a new millage that would be levied at 0.7 mills, which is 7 cents for every $1,000 of a home’s taxable value.
If approved, the new millage would begin with the Dec. 1 tax levy and would run through 2033.
Cathy Russ, who is the library’s director, said she understands that when millages go on ballots, what people want to know is how much it will cost.
Given that the cost depends on the taxable value of each home in the township, it can vary. Property tax values are typically about 50% of a home’s market value.
According to Russ, the average taxable value of a home in West Bloomfield is $182,699, with the average market value being $365,398.
What that means is that the average taxpayer in West Bloomfield is currently paying $241 per year in taxes for library services. If the proposal passes, that amount would increase by $17.84, making it $258.84 per year until 2033.
Russ pointed out that the amount per year is a combination of two millages, one that is in perpetuity, “which means it can go on forever,” and the one that voters approved in 2010 that is at the heart of the repeal and replace millage set to be on ballots in November. She also pointed out that the amount paid in taxes goes towards both the library’s main branch and its Westacres branch.
“The combination of the two millages is that $241,” Russ said. “The one that we’re renewing probably represents about $120 of that $241 – think about half and half. … (The) one in perpetuity, people are paying $120 on that one.”
The millage that is in perpetuity was established when the residents of West Bloomfield voted to have a library. According to Russ, it was 1 mill when it was established, but it has since been rolled back to 0.7108 mill.
The millage that was approved in 2010 at 0.6586 mill has since been rolled back to 0.6108 mill, according to Russ.
The reductions are due to the Headlee Amendment. Under that amendment to the Michigan Constitution, a community’s millage rates are reduced to offset any increase in overall taxable value exceeding the rate of inflation in a given year.
The millage cost for each property owner can be calculated by multiplying the taxable value of their property by the millage rate and dividing it by 1,000.
Property tax values can be found on property tax statements and by checking with the local assessor’s office.
The millage that voters are being asked to decide on is not set to expire until 2026, and Russ said that the original plan was to have it placed on ballots in August 2025, but doing so would make it a special election, which costs several thousand dollars.
The West Bloomfield Library Board unanimously approved having the proposal placed on ballots this November, and avoiding the cost of a special election was one of the reasons that the board’s president, Carol A. Kravetz, cited for doing so.
“It wasn’t a tough proposal (to decide on) because it saved the library $100,000, or thereabouts, from having a special election,” Kravetz said. “I know we’re going to need the roof replaced; I know we’re working on the HVAC system.”
Upgrades to both of the library’s buildings, which are approximately 25 years old, were on Kravetz’s mind.
“It wasn’t a hard decision at all,” she said. “I was very much in favor of doing it when we’re doing it, and I think that the public will support it.”
West Bloomfield resident Nancy Croitori has already expressed her support.
“I agree that it should be included in the November election so that they can save money and not have to do it in 2025,” Croitori said. “I do believe that they need money to make improvements – they are older buildings. I love going to the Westacres Library; I’m there at least every other week. … I support whatever they need to do to keep it up to speed for improved programming.”
Croitori understands what supporting the millage entails.
“If (it) means increased taxes, then so be it,” she said.
Russ said the two millages combined make up 91.47% of the library’s total revenue. She said 3% comes from contracts with Orchard Lake, Keego Harbor and Sylvan Lake for services provided to residents of those communities, with revenue also coming from state aid.
Russ said that the library’s total budget is $6,960,390, with the budget for personnel being over $3 million. The budget for personnel makes up just under 50% of the operating budget, according to Russ.
The capital budget, which includes collections, amounts to $1,483,432.
Professional contractual services, which includes money for things such as grass-cutting, auditors and attorneys, amounts to $524,845.
Repairs and maintenance amounts to $596,521, with utilities coming in at $236,575, according to Russ.
“It’s a big operation,” Russ said. “It’s important to keep in mind that it’s two facilities. It’s not just the one library. We’re running two buildings and staffing two buildings and maintaining two buildings. There’s utilities in two buildings.”
Replacing aging building components, updating technology, renovating meeting rooms, improving outdoor spaces and expanding the library’s digital collection are included among the various ways money would be used if the proposal passes, according to Russ.
If the proposal fails at the polls, the current millage rate would remain in effect until 2026.
“If it passes, that millage goes away and is replaced by this one that we’re asking for,” Russ said. “If it fails, it does give us some time to figure out what to do. This millage does represent not quite half of our funding, so we would have to figure something out. … We probably would have to go for a special election in 2025 because we would have to do what we could do to replace that funding source before it expires in 2026.”
In regard to the timing of placing a proposal on ballots that would increase residents’ taxes, Russ said, “We want to be respectful of the conditions with inflation.”
“We took a look at the numbers and we did a ton of number-crunching, because what we wanted to do was arrive at a millage rate that would give the library what it needed in order to do what we need to do, but not go over the top,” she said. “We are using some of our library fund balance to offset the cost of some of these capital repairs. … We always want to be fiscally responsible.”
According to Russ, several public information meetings have been scheduled.
An open house at the Main Branch is scheduled for noon-4 p.m. Sept. 21, with a millage information meeting scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. in the library’s meeting room. The West Bloomfield Township Public Library is located at 4600 Walnut Lake Road.
Residents can also learn more information about the millage by visiting wblib.org/about/millage/.
The phone number for the Main Branch is (248) 682-2120.
November preview
Also on the ballot, Beacon readers will decide on:
• A county parks tax renewal of the current 0.35-mill levy set to expire in 2029 with a new tax rate of 0.65 mills — read "Oakland County proposes parks millage hike on November ballot"
• A proposal to extend a 4-mill Keego Harbor police millage past 2026 to 2034 — See an upcoming issue of the Beacon.
• A measure to replace Walled Lake Consolidated Schools’ operating millage with a proposal to levy up to 3.6297 mills on principal homes and up to 18 mills on other property — See an upcoming issue of the Beacon.
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