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WEST BLOOMFIELD
FEBRUARY 21, 2024 • Vol. 21, No. 4
6399 ORCHARD LAKE RD (At Orchard Mall, across from English Gardens)
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Voters to decide school millage renewal BY MARK VEST mvest@candgnews.com
WEST BLOOMFIELD — As part of the presidential primary election ballot Feb. 27, voters will decide on the renewal of a West Bloomfield School District millage. The non-homestead tax rate of 18.6967 would not be levied on primary residences — just commercial, rental and other properties. Although the district can only levy 18 mills on non-homestead property each year, the portion of the millage above 18 mills would protect the district from potential Headlee Amendment rollbacks in the future, according to a press release from the district. The Headlee Amendment to the Michigan Constitution calls for millage rates in communities to be reduced to offset increases in overall taxable values exceeding the rate of inflation in a given year. The West Bloomfield School District Board of Education unani-
Photos by Patricia O’Blenes
ICED PINK Players hold “I SKATE FOR” signs. Those who attended the game also had an opportunity to provide support, with proceeds going to pediatric cancer research and blood cancer research.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s hockey players took part in the second “Pink in the Rink” hockey event Feb. 10 at the St. Mary’s Athletic Complex. The event was held in support of pediatric cancer charities, with St. Mary’s taking on Birmingham Brother Rice.
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mously approved placing the operating millage renewal on the ballot. If approved, the district’s ballot proposal would renew the 18 nonhomestead mills that were last approved by voters in 2014, and two non-homestead mills that were approved in 2021. The proposal would also renew 5 hold harmless mills that were approved by voters in 2014. Those mills are levied on primary residences in the district. A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of a home’s taxable value. In 1994, Proposal A set a minimum level of per-pupil funding for all school districts. Districts that already spent more than that, like West Bloomfield, were allowed to levy a hold harmless millage, with voter approval, to maintain that funding rate. The district is authorized “to levy not more than 18 mills on nonhomestead property and not more than the 4.6587 hold harmless mills previously approved by the voters on homestead property,” a press release states. “However, for fiscal year 2023/24, the School District needed to levy only 3.1426 mills (of the 4.6587 mills authorized) against homestead property to hold itself harmless to obtain the Foundation Allowance.”
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Non-homestead tax makes up largest part of district’s budget