By Don Rush

Bruce Pearson has been supervisor for Addison Township for about 16 years. In that time he’s seen many initiatives be put before the voters. Next week, on Tuesday, voters of the township will have to decide on three more initiatives and Pearson said he’s behind all three millage questions. The millages are for the fire department to operate advanced life support ambulance services, for police protection from Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and a renewal for the North Oakland Transportation Authority. Let’s go through each.

1. Fire Department Operating and Advanced Life Support Ambulance Services

Shall the Addison Township Fire Department increase the tax limitation imposed under Article IX, Sec. 6 of the Michigan Constitution with a new 1.5 mill increase ($1.50 per $1,000 of taxable value), to provide fire operating and advance life support ambulance services? The currently approved millage, as rolled back, is 2.1806 mills (2.1806 per $1,000 of taxable value), The new 1.5 millage is estimated to raise an additional six hundred thirty thousand, seven hundred and thirty dollars ($630,730) in the first-year levy. This new millage shall be levied for the period of 3 years, 2022 through 2024 inclusive. The new and the existing millage are both necessary to continue the fire services and to meet the regulations for advanced life support ambulance services. The new and existing millage will be used for the purpose of providing fire operating and advanced life support ambulance services.

According to Pearson, and township fire chief Jerry Morawski, the township has to comply with a county health mandate which states if you’re going to have ambulance service, you have to have two persons (a medic and an EMT) at all times when operating an ambulance. Prior to this the township received exemptions from this mandate, no more, he said. “We have to add personnel,” He said. “Before we could have one person leave in the ambulance and one could show up on the scene. Now we need two. We are one of the smallest fire departments in the county and it was a hardship on us, because we are so far away from a hospital. Heck, in the old days when I was a deputy they (ambulances) were basically meat wagons. We’d arrive on scene, throw the person in the back of the ambulance and drive like hell to get to the hospital. Now, we will have this service available 24 hours a day.”

2. Addison Township Police Protection and Police Operations

Shall the expired, previously voted increase for Police Protection in the tax limitation imposed under

Article IX, Sec. 6 of the Michigan Constitution in Addison Township, of 3.4874 mills ($3.4874 per $1,000 of taxable value), expired 12/2021 and reduced to 3.3799 mills by the required Headlee Amendment millage rollbacks, be renewed at 3.3799 and increased by .1075 to the full rate of the previously voter approved 3.4874 mills ($3.4874 per $1,000 of taxable value.)? It is estimated this will raise one million four hundred sixty-six thousand, four hundred and five dollars ($1,466,405) in the first-year levy. This millage is the only police protection millage levied. The millage shall be levied for the period of 4 years, 2022 through 2025 inclusive, for police protection and police operations within the Township.

This renewal, Pearson said, has to be renewed every five years. “There was a time when Addison Township didn’t have people (Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies) on all shifts. We didn’t have 24 hour coverage. We do now and Addison Township is one of the safest communities in the state of Michigan,” he said. “You don’t need law enforcement until you need ‘em. And, you don’t want to be without them.”

Currently, the township has one command person and six deputies patrolling – two deputies for each of the three shifts – plus a “floater” who works between shifts from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.

3. North Oakland Transportation Authority Millage Renewal

Shall the Township of Addison, consistent with Article IX, Sec. 6 of the Michigan Constitution, be

authorized to renew the expiring and previously voter approved millage of .25 mills (now rolled back for 2022 under the Headlee Amendment to .2343) in an amount not to exceed the 2024 rolled back value on the taxable value of property located in the Township of Addison for a period of 5 years from 2025 to 2029, inclusive, for the purpose of funding capital and operating expenses for transportation services provided to seniors, disabled and low income residents by the North Oakland Transportation Authority? If approved and levied in full, this proposal will provide estimated revenue of one hundred four thousand, four hundred fifty-eight dollars ($104,458) in the first year (2025), which shall be disbursed to the North Oakland Transportation Authority.

“I support NOTA 100 percent,” Pearson said. “Each of us is only one day away, one accident or medical emergency away from when they take your keys away and you can’t drive anymore. Look, NOTA started in Addison Township with one vehicle and look at it now. We have like 19 vehicles and a new hub on Glaspie Street in Oxford. You don’t have to worry if you can’t drive. With NOTA we have a way to get you to the grocery store, the doctor or bank. It’s a good service.”

Last year, the local transportation service provided a total of 34,619 rides. Those numbers are up 28 percent from 2020, but down from pre-pandemic numbers when NOTA provided more than 40,000 rides in 2018 and 2019