Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com

Voters in the city of Brighton will be going to the polls in November to decide the fate of a street millage levy. At its regular meeting last week, the City Council voted unanimously to ask city voters to approve a renewal of a 2.5-mill levy that expires this year for another 10 years.

This time, though, the street millage will be in two parts: The first part is the renewal of a 2.4053-mill levy that was reduced from the originally approved 2.5 mills by several Headlee Tax Limitation amendment rollbacks. The second part will be for a new millage of point-0947 (.0947) to restore the original 2.5 mills. City Manager Gretchen Gomolka told council that the way the law is written, the ballot language had to be presented in that manner. The caveat is that the issue, if passed, will also be subject to Headlee rollbacks each year.

The Headlee Tax Limitation Amendment requires that property tax increases be no more than 5%, or the cost of inflation, whichever is lower - and city property values have been steadily rising, resulting in the rollbacks. If the voters approve it, the revenue derived from the millage would be used each year to continue the program to improve city streets. City Mayor Pro Tem Jim Bohn says if it passes, property taxes for the average Brighton homeowner are expected to go up about $18 a year. Estimates of the amount of revenue generated by passage of the request were not discussed at the meeting, but the original street millage passed in 2019, as an example, raised $1.15 million in its first year.

Bohn tells WHMI there are a number of streets which are being considered for improvements this summer and fall, including Whispering Oaks Drive, Woodlake Dr., Glenwyth, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Court, St.Paul (east of Grand River), Sisu Knoll, Peppergrove, Devonshire, Washington, Franklin, Third St. from Main St. to Brighton Lake Road, Robertson Dr. and Rita Ann. However, Bohn says the list of streets to be upgraded has not yet been finalized.

Councilmember Bill Albert lives in the Northwest neighborhood that has been a prime beneficiary of the city’s street milage the last few years with street reconstruction, curb-and-gutter work and replacement of old sewer lines. Albert said his basement had flooded three times previously but he has experienced no flooding since the street work was done. He told council, "That neighborhood is a night-and-day difference from what it was five years ago.”

Gomolka said open houses will be scheduled to explain the potential projects and flyers will also be distributed to city residents to explain the complicated ballot issues in everyday language.