More than 25 mayors, supervisors and elected officials across Oakland County, including Oxford Township Supervisor Bill Dunn and Addison Township Treasurer Lori Fisher, gathered in Waterford Township March 3 to condemn Michigan House Bill 5550.
The House had been scheduled to vote on it later that day in Lansing, when House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, tabled the bill.
The proposed bill would have amended the Regional Transit Authority Act of 2012, allowing Macomb County to opt out of a Regional Transit Authority and would allow the RTA to levy up to 3 mills in the remaining counties of Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne.
HB 5550 was introduced by Rep. Diana Farrington, R-Utica, on Feb. 26. It was meant to replace the controversial HB 5229 which sought to amend the Municipal Partnership Act of 2011 and would have allowed up to 5 mills for regional transit.
One mill is $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. With three mills, an average Oakland County home of $204,000 would have an annual tax increase of about $612.
Officials opposed to the bill were concerned that tax payers in the north of the county would have an undue burden without receiving any benefit and that the bill was getting “ramrodded” through without public input.
At the press conference, Rocky Raczkowski, chair of the Oakland County Republican Party, pointed to a map highlighting the coverage area that would be served by the transit authority. Most of it was gray, indicating that the majority of the county would not covered.
“What Lansing is currently voting on, is allowing there to be taxation without transportation,” he said. “Quite frankly, taxation without representation.” He added that western Wayne County and much of Washtenaw County would not be covered either.
“It’s not about transit, it’s about having a plan. It’s about clearly defining a plan. None of that’s been done,” said Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett.
He explained that the bill was introduced on Feb. 26, just one business day prior. The House was not in session Feb. 27, Feb. 28, or March 2. “This is the first day they are back in session and they are proposing to have the second and third reading today without any input from any of us.”
Barnett said the bill has gerrymandered Macomb out of the Regional Transit Authority. “You cannot have a regional transit authority in southeast Michigan without Macomb County . . . home to Warren and Sterling Heights, the third and fourth largest communities in our state by population.”
Supervisor Bill Dunn later said in a phone interview he thinks the bill is “terrible” and “un-American” the way they are proposing to fund it. “We’re talking about a lot of money over 20 years,” he said, and he is “pretty sure we haven’t seen the last of it.”
Dunn noted that Oxford, Orion and Addison already have a great transportation system for seniors, disabled and low-income residents – those who really need it – and that is the North Oakland Transit Authority (NOTA) which provides 40,000 rides a year.
“I was very happy to see the legislature set aside for this bill,” Lori Fisher wrote in an e-mail, “though I expect to see something on it again in the future. It’s frustrating to see politicians from across the state making decisions that will have such an impact on our residents. I agree that improvement in transportation needs to be made, but I would like to see a plan in place with a reasonable and sustainable price tag. The requested 3 mills would have a huge impact on Addison’s residents. That is over $1.2 million dollars a year we would be sending out of our town. I hope that as the transportation plan moves forward our voices continue to be heard and the interests of our residents are as important as those within the service areas.”
Oakland County Executive David Coulter, a strong supporter of regional transit, put out a statement on March 4:
“To move forward as a region we must fix our inadequate transit system. It has economic and quality of life consequences for Oakland County and our region if we don’t better compete with other regions across the country. I’m dismayed that Republicans in the legislature fueled by false information won’t give us the tools we need to develop a plan to put before the voters. Ultimately it should be up to the voters to decide this issue. I’m committed to continuing efforts with local communities to improve mobility throughout Oakland County as we find a path forward as a region.”
Coulter discussed regional transit at length when he visited Oxford for a town hall in January.
Both Oxford and Addison Township boards have passed resolutions in opposition to a county-wide RTA millage.