By Matthew Hutchison / news@whmi.com

Hamburg Township is reminding voters that they will be asked in August to decide whether to approve a new police millage that would increase funding for the township’s police department.

The proposal asks voters to approve up to 3 mills for police services. Township officials say the current voter-approved police millage has been rolled back under the Headlee Amendment to 2.3717 mills. The new request would increase the rate by about 0.62 mills.

For a $406,000 home with a taxable value of $203,000, township officials estimate the increase would amount to $127.65 per year, or about $10.64 per month. The township estimates the millage would raise about $4.6 million in its first year.

If approved, the new millage would begin in 2026 and run for 10 years, through 2035. The current police millage expires in 2027.

The Township Board of Trustees voted April 21 to place the proposal on the Aug. 4, 2026 ballot.

Hamburg Township Public Safety Director Richard Duffany says department officials recognize the timing is difficult for residents.

“We’re all taxpayers ourselves at the police department and we live in a world where we’re quite aware this is a horrible time to be asking for a millage, let alone a millage increase, but again we’re in the same boat as everybody else,” Duffany said.

He said the department is hoping residents will support the proposal while acknowledging the financial pressure many households are facing.

“We know it’s a tough time to ask,” Duffany said. “Our community has always been exceptionally supportive of us. We’re just hoping the community comes together and everyone can chip in a little for the greater good, as it were. But I think we have an exceptional police department and I think we have an exceptional working environment with the community.”

Duffany said the request is being driven by rising costs in several areas, including technology, equipment and healthcare. He said IT costs are “through the roof,” with expenses tied to in-car cameras, body cameras and in-car computers. Health care costs for the department are up about $150,000 a year compared to three years ago, he said, while overtime is up $100,000 from two years ago.

The department typically replaces two patrol vehicles per year, but Duffany said that the township will not replace those vehicles in the upcoming budget year as officials look to manage costs.

Duffany also said Hamburg Township’s officer-to-resident ratio is well below the statewide average.

“The average number of officers per 1,000 people in the state of Michigan is 1.5 and we’re at 0.89 per 1,000, and that’s by far the lowest in the county,” Duffany said. “With that staffing level and all the services we’re trying to do, our overtime costs are through the roof. Our overtime is up $100,000 from two years ago.”

Duffany said overall calls for service are increasing, but the nature of those calls has also changed. He said fraud and scam complaints have risen sharply and often require lengthy investigations.

“Our calls for service are up but the issue with our calls for service is that calls for fraud and scams are up exponentially, which are in-depth cases to investigate,” Duffany said. “This year alone through June 17, we’ve already taken 48 scams worth over $1.7 million, and that’s just in the first six months of 2026. It’s skyrocketing from a year or two ago.”

Duffany said the department has recovered some money and prevented some scams, but the cases require significant investigative time.

The township says an FAQ on the police millage will be posted soon on its website.