Editor’s note: The Oxford Township Board approved to put both tax proposals on the August ballot at its April 10 meeting. 

Oxford Township voters aren’t scheduled to go to the polls in August, but that could change tonight.

At its 6:30 p.m. April 10 regular meeting, the township board will discuss and potentially vote on ballot language for two millage proposals, one for the parks and recreation department and one for law enforcement services.

Proposed language included in the meeting packet shows a 10-year, 1-mill request for parks and recreation operations and a five-year, 3.9152-mill request for police protection provided by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Both proposals are renewals combined with increases of less than two-tenths of a mill.

One mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.

The current police and parks millages are scheduled to expire with the December 2019 tax collection, which means each service will have funding in place for the 2020 fiscal year.

Parks Director Ron Davis said he doesn’t want to take any chances by waiting to place a request on the ballot in 2020 because if it fails at that point, there’s no money to run the department in 2021 and beyond.

“2020 would be it (for funding),” he said.

But if it fails this year, there are still opportunities to put it before the voters again next year.

Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Patterson, commander of the Oxford Township substation, agreed with Davis’ logic.

“If you leave yourself with a short window and (it) doesn’t pass, then you’re looking at (having no) funding,” he said.

Should the proposed ballot language be approved by the board, a special election would be held on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Township Clerk Curtis Wright estimated it could cost approximately $15,000 to conduct a special election, depending on the number of poll workers that are needed based on projected voter turnout. Anywhere from four to seven workers could be required for each of the seven precincts. “You don’t want to be understaffed,” Wright said.

If the board decides to hold a special election, the cost would be split between the police and parks budgets, according to Wright.

When asked how he feels about spending an extra $7,500 for an election, Davis replied, “I don’t think we have a choice.”

He wants the department to be able to say it “exhausted” all options should it not be able to get a millage passed.

Parks and recreation

Davis is eager for a second chance to impress upon voters how great the need is, in his opinion, for his department’s request given the failure of a 15-year, 1-mill operating tax last November.

Voters turned it down 5,149 to 4,805. Folks who went to the polls on election day favored the request 3,438 to 3,337, but absentee voters rejected it 1,812 to 1,367.

Davis said he takes “full responsibility” for that defeat because “we didn’t educate the people” and “we didn’t do any promotion.”

“I wish I would have done a better job,” he said.

Davis believes “there was a lot of confusion” surrounding the failed millage request because voters had approved a $2 million bond proposal in November 2016.

But, a bond and an operating millage are two different animals. The bond money can only to be used to make specific capital improvements in each of the township’s four parks. The operating millage pays for maintenance, supplies, electricity, employee wages and everything else needed to run the department on a day-to-day basis.

“Without that operating millage, you don’t have a department,” Davis said. “You may have parks, but you won’t have the services or some of the amenities.”

The current parks and recreation operating tax is 0.8234 mill.

If voters approve 1 mill for the department, it’s expected to generate $939,798 the first year it’s collected.

Davis explained a tax increase is being proposed, instead of a straight renewal, because while the department and community have “grown” over the years, the millage rate has not.

He explained that when he took over as director in 1995, the department maintained two parks and offered a very small number of enrichment programs.

Today, the department oversees four parks, a splashpad, a senior center and a community room. It also offers approximately 130 enrichment programs throughout the year.

In addition to all that, the department conducts 10 special events each year that together draw approximately 1,200 participants.

When Davis started 24 years ago, he said the department would participate in the community celebration known as Pioneer Days, but it had no special events of its own.

“There wasn’t a Bunny Bonanza (or) Jack-O-Jam. There were no daddy-daughter dances originally (or) mother-son dances,” he said.

As things kept growing, Davis said he and his staff maintained “what we could in the best way we could” using the funding that was available, but “eventually, that catches up to you,” which is why the bond was needed to make capital improvements in all of the parks.

Going forward, Davis wants to be able to properly maintain and operate all of the facilities, hence a small tax increase is necessary, in his opinion. “It’s an investment in your community,” he said.

Davis believes parks are “an essential part” of Oxford that serve “a purpose, just like police and fire.”

To get the millage proposal passed should township officials agree to place it on the ballot, Davis said he plans to “work closely” with the sheriff’s office to recruit community volunteers who are willing to establish and run a campaign committee.

If anyone has any questions regarding the millage proposal, Davis encourages them to call the department at (248) 628-1720 and ask.

“I would be more than happy to meet with people,” he said.

In the interest of fairness, Davis hopes people will talk to him before making posts on social media about the millage request.

He said if folks don’t like what they hear from him, they’re more than welcome to share their thoughts online, “but at least give us the opportunity to answer your questions before you start posting stuff that’s not correct.”

If the millage proposal ends up on the Aug. 6 ballot, Davis hopes parks and recreation supporters will take the time to  go to the polls and send in absentee ballots.

“Don’t assume that it’s going to pass. I’ve been guilty of that, too,” he said.

Police protection

The police proposal seeks to get the millage rate back to what it was when voters passed it in November 2014.

Back then, it was approved at 3.9152 mills. Over the years, the Headlee Amendment reduced the rate to its current 3.7939 mills.

Patterson said raising the tax back to the original rate would allow the substation to maintain its current staffing level and potentially add three officers over the life of the new millage.

The sheriff’s substation is currently staffed by 17 officers – 13 road patrol deputies, a detective, a school liaison (or resource) officer, a sergeant and a lieutenant.

This is the same staffing level the township had in 2005. The problem is, according to Patterson, the township’s population has grown since then, so more officers are required to keep up with the demand for service.

Using the analogy of a single waitress covering an entire diner by herself, Patterson said it’s unrealistic to expect her to provide the same level and speed of service with 20 customers in the place as she does when there are only two patrons.

“You’re going to end up waiting,” he said.

If no millage increase is sought, Patterson  said the substation could find itself in a similar situation six years from now.

“People can’t expect response times to (stay) the same with the same amount of officers serving a growing community,” he said. “They’re going to be longer unless you add more officers.”

Patterson said the question voters have to ask themselves is, “Do you want to be battling (crime in) 2025 with 2005 staffing levels?”

As he’s argued with previous millage proposals, Patterson said having more officers would enable the substation to engage in more proactive policing versus reactive policing.

Proactive policing involves frequently patrolling streets, neighborhoods and commercial areas in an effort to prevent crimes.

Reactive policing is responding to calls, taking reports and investigating crimes after they happen.

Patterson said proactive policing is a an effective tool when it comes to lowering crime rates and he would rather have officers in the field stopping crimes before they occur than trying to catch culprits after the fact.