Wayne County voters on Tuesday approved two ballot initiatives that would renew the tax abatement to fund improvements to parks and recreation facilities and repeal the requirement to appoint a new auditor every eight years.
Proposition P renews the county’s existing tax levy to provide ongoing financial support for parks and related facilities, raising approximately $14 million annually from 2026 to 2030.
The funds raised by this tax increase will be used to invest in improvements and infrastructure projects at major parks, including Hines Park, Elizabeth Park and the Wayne County Family Aquatic Center in Chandler Park, as well as to improve municipal parks in over 40 Wayne County communities.
For a home valued at $100,000, the new tax will increase the homeowner’s property tax bill by about $12 per year.
The proposal was adopted with over 74% of the votes.
Voters also approved Proposition A, which would remove the clause in Wayne County Charter that requires a new auditor to be sought every eight years and instead allow any qualified accounting firm to be awarded a service contract through competitive bidding.
More information on the proposal, which was adopted with 52.4% of the vote, can be found here.
Finally, Detroit voters also approved Proposition L, which extends the city library’s operating tax for another 10 years. The extension of the 3.9943 millage tax – which does not increase residents’ taxes – will The city libraries will finance almost their entire operating budget for the next decade.
Homeowners in the city will continue to pay $3.99 per $1,000 of taxable property value. The millage renewal also includes changes to Detroit’s tax policy that will increase library funding by an additional $3 million next year.
Officials said if the proposal had not been approved, Detroit’s 22 libraries would have had to close.
Detroit residents voted overwhelmingly to renew the millage, with over 85% of voters supporting the measure.
Jenny Sherman of WDET contributed to this report.
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