Let’s face it, nobody really likes paying taxes.

Nobody jumps for joy when filing their federal income tax return. Nobody does cartwheels when they receive their property tax bill in the mail. Nobody willingly overpays their taxes and tells the government to “keep the change.”

If you do, there’s something seriously wrong with you.

But the fact is, taxes are a necessary evil.

They are the price we pay for living in a civilized society as opposed to the wild where life is nasty, brutish and short. They are the price we pay to help keep us safe and give us pleasant communities in which to live, raise families and retire.

That’s why we are urging voters to say YES to Oxford Township’s police and parks/recreation millage proposals on the Tuesday, Aug. 6 ballot.

Both proposals represent renewals of their operating millages, plus small increases.

Operating millages are critical because they pay employee wages and benefits, they pay for supplies, equipment and maintenance, they pay for liability insurance and they pay utility bills. Without operating millages to support budgets, there can be no public services. It’s that simple.

In the case of the proposed five-year, 3.9152-mill police tax, which will continue funding contracted services provided by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the increase amounts to about 12 cents for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value. That’s $12 more per year for a home with a taxable value of $100,000.

With regard to the proposed 10-year, 1-mill parks and recreation tax, the increase amounts to almost 18 cents for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value. For a home with a taxable value of $100,000, that’s an increase of almost $18 per year.

It’s really easy – and sometimes tempting – to just say ‘no’ to everything all the time, but that’s not logical, that’s not responsible and frankly, that’s not fair.

Everything in life, from ballot proposals to people, should be judged on a case-by-case basis. There should never be a one-size-fits-all answer for everything.

The right to vote means we all have a responsibility to inform ourselves about the issues, which entails gathering facts as opposed to lazily absorbing Facebook fiction, evaluating the information in a rational manner and coming to the most reasonable conclusion possible when the time comes to mark that ballot.

Some millage proposals deserve a hard ‘no.’ Some millage proposals deserve a heartfelt ‘yes.’

We believe Oxford’s police and parks proposals fall into the latter category.

Police

If approved, not only will the police millage keep our existing 17 officers in place, the additional funding could allow the township to add up to three officers over the next five years.

More officers are needed for one simple reason – the township’s population continues to grow, yet the number of officers who protect it is the same as it was in 2005.

It’s unrealistic to expect the sheriff’s office to continue providing the same quality coverage, the same attention to detail and the same response times as the demand for services increases and the number of officers remains static.

It’s a simple equation – more residents, plus more vehicles, plus more homes, plus more businesses equals a need for more cops.

When public safety resources are stretched too thin, it’s the public’s safety that’s put in jeopardy. Is that really worth saving an extra $12 per year?

We want to see cops patrolling our streets and our neighborhoods. We want to see cops in our schools and in our parks. We want to see cops keeping our local businesses safe and secure. We want to know the cops are coming when we call them.

Police protection is a need, not a want, and so is this millage proposal. There’s a thin blue line that separates us from the bad guys and the chaos they bring with them. We should do everything in our power to support and strengthen that line, not diminish or erase it.

Parks and Recreation

As for the parks and recreation millage, it all comes down to quality of life.

Is Oxford Township a better place because it has more than 500 acres of public parkland that residents can access and enjoy any time they wish?

Is Oxford Township a better place because it has a multitude of recreation programs that keep everyone from little kids to senior citizens entertained, active, educated and engaged?

Is Oxford Township a better place because the parks department offers special events that help bring the community closer together through shared experiences?

The answer to all these questions is a resounding ‘yes.’

Since the 1990s, the parks and recreation department has operated with a property tax that’s less than a mill. Today, at 0.8234 mill, it’s the township’s lowest tax, with the exception of the North Oakland Transportation Authority.

This is amazing considering how dramatically the department has grown in terms of parks, programs, facilities, amenities and opportunities.

It has been able to do all this through the prudent management of its funds coupled with a relentless and successful pursuit of grants, sponsorships, partnerships and donations.

Time and time again, the parks and recreation department has invested in this community. Now, the time has come for the community to reinvest in it.

Granted, in November 2016, taxpayers chose to reinvest in the department by approving a $2 million bond proposal that funded a variety of capital improvements in all four township parks.

But, without an approved operating millage to continue running and maintaining those parks going forward, that bond money will be wasted.

You wouldn’t pour good money into restoring a car only to put it up on blocks because you don’t want to pay for gasoline, insurance and maintenance. So, why would you do that to Oxford Township’s park system?

Given everything the parks department now offers and everything the public now expects from it, a tax increase of almost $18 per year doesn’t seem unreasonable to us.

In fact, it sounds like quite a bargain.

Double ‘yes’

Oxford is extremely fortunate to have good police and good parks.

If you don’t understand how vital having those things are, take a drive through a community that doesn’t have either and see the difference. It isn’t pretty.

Good police and good parks help keep Oxford strong, healthy, attractive and prosperous.

Good police and good parks help bolster Oxford’s property values, making our homes not just places to live, but sound investments.

Good police and good parks help make Oxford a desirable place to live, work, play and visit.

For all of the aforementioned reasons and many others, we strongly urge voters to say YES to the police millage and YES to the parks and recreation millage on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

We think Oxford is worth it. – CJC