Clarkston Public Safety Millage Fails by 25 Votes

The proposed 7-mill tax measure failed by 25 votes, with 284 voters opposing it. Clarkston contracts with Independence Township for police, fire and emergency services, and the city has absorbed annual cost increases for the past two years, City Manager Jonathan Smith said.

The cost to each homeowner would have depended on the home’s taxable value. The amount could also have been affected by changes to the city’s operating millage and budget. Smith said he understood residents’ reluctance to take on another tax increase amid rising household costs.

Some residents backed the measure out of concern about maintaining emergency services. Former city manager Carol Eberhardt supported it and said she believed some voters doubted the city’s promise that its general fund millage might be reduced if the public safety tax passed.

Michigan voters considered about 124 local public safety millage questions this election, and 14 failed. Clarkston was among eight communities that rejected proposals tied to emergency medical services; in some places, fire and police funding could also be affected when services are combined.

Clarkston’s emergency services are covered through June. City council members are expected to consider options at their November 9 meeting, while the city works out how to handle the rising costs without the proposed tax revenue.

Clarkston’s Narrow Vote Puts Emergency Services Funding at Risk

A 7-mill, four-year measure intended to help fund Clarkston’s police, fire and emergency services fell short by just 25 votes. The city contracts with Independence Township and has absorbed annual cost increases for two years, City Manager Jonathan Smith said.

The result leaves a basic public responsibility facing a funding gap: Clarkston’s emergency services are covered through June, and leaders must now find another way to manage rising costs. Voters in 14 of roughly 124 Michigan communities also rejected public safety millages this election.

Residents who supported the Clarkston proposal pointed to the importance of keeping emergency services in place. Former city manager Carol Eberhardt voted for it and questioned whether voters trusted the city’s indication that it might reduce its general fund millage if the new tax passed.

The burden of the defeat now falls on city leaders to protect essential services while working through the budget choices ahead. Council members are expected to discuss their options on November 9. The city has time to plan, but the coverage currently secured only runs through June.

Clarkston Voters Reject Another Tax for Public Safety

Clarkston voters rejected a proposed 7-mill public safety tax by 25 votes, with 284 voting against it. The close result reflects a clear concern among residents about adding to household costs, a hesitation City Manager Jonathan Smith said he understood.

The tax would have helped cover rising costs for services the city contracts from Independence Township. Clarkston has absorbed annual increases for two years, and city officials must now work out how to manage expenses without the proposed revenue.

Voters were told the cost per homeowner would depend on taxable property value and could change with the city’s operating millage and budget. Former city manager Carol Eberhardt suggested distrust of the city’s possible general fund millage rollback may have contributed to the measure’s defeat.

Clarkston’s emergency services are covered through June, and the city council is expected to consider its options on November 9. Across Michigan, 14 of about 124 public safety millage proposals failed. The next step for Clarkston is to address the costs without the additional tax residents declined to approve.