Wayne County transit millage approved, paving the way to expanded bus service in Detroit suburbs

By Julia Cardi | Detroit News (TNS)

WAYNE COUNTY, MICH. — At least eight new bus routes will be added to Wayne County after voters gave the green light on Tuesday to a mass transit millage, paving the way for expanded service throughout the county, including 17 communities that previously opted out of the system.

With nearly 100% of precincts reporting, the Wayne County Public Transportation millage was approved 67% to 33%, according to unofficial results. The millage funds SMART transit service in the county.

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans called the millage's passage, which went before all 43 communities in Wayne County for the first time, "a victory for everyone in Wayne County who relies on transit, and for everyone who depends on someone who depends on transit."

"We would like to thank all our supporters and all those who came out to vote YES on this important proposal, which will help our most vulnerable residents get where they need to go, connect people with jobs and help boost our local economy for years to come," said Evans in a statement Wednesday morning.

With the expanded millage, SMART has proposed adding eight new routes in communities that previously didn't have bus service, five extensions of existing routes and on-demand service. They would operate on major roads including Telegraph, Allen, Warren, Middlebelt, Newburgh, Plymouth, Haggerty and Seven Mile.

Huron and Sumpter Township do not have proposed fixed routes, but would be served by on-demand rides. SMART's "flex on-demand service" provides transportation for riders for between $2 and $8.

Tiffany Gunter, SMART'S CEO, declared victory for the millage in a statement after 1 a.m. Wednesday. She said SMART provides critical service for people who need transit to get to jobs, medical appointments and school, and the system's expansion in Wayne County will happen in phases, based on each community's needs.

"Voters made a clear choice for a more connected region, and we feel the weight of that trust. This millage means real dollars for real service: roughly $57 million a year, generated by a one-mill investment that will finally bring every community in Wayne County into one connected transit system," Gunter said.

Wayne County has had a millage specifically dedicated to mass transit for decades, but in the past, communities were allowed to opt out. After a change in state law barring communities from opting out, for the first time, all 43 cities and townships in Wayne County voted on the .9831-mill measure on Tuesday.

The measure will cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $100,000, or a market value of roughly $200,000, roughly $96 a year in new taxes.

Livonia is one Wayne County city that hasn't voted for the SMART millage until now. The community currently has its own transit service called Liv&Go that provides transportation within Livonia, and for medical appointments, up to one mile outside the city.

Resident Tanner Brose, 26, voted yes on the transit millage. He said it's important to support those who may need transit, such as those with disabilities and veterans.

"I'm all for more transit," Brose said Tuesday evening at Livonia's polling site at Holmes Middle School.

Dhanya Ramanujam, 19, of Canton also voted in support of the millage. The Wayne State University student looked at the proposed routes and saw she would be able to pick up a bus while at school and be dropped off two miles from home in Canton.

"I wouldn't have to rely on my parents if I needed to come home for anything," she said.

Police millage renewal rejected

In Sumpter Township, voters rejected a millage renewal for police services that also would've raised the millage rate from 3 mills to 5. With 100% of precincts reporting, the measure failed 57% to 43%, according to unofficial results.

Eric Luke, the township's director of public safety and police chief, said township officials haven't sought a new police millage in 15 years. Meanwhile, costs have gone up.

"The cost of operating a police department has continued to rise," wrote Luke in a post on Facebook in early July. "Vehicles, equipment, technology, training, fuel, insurance, personnel, and everyday operating expenses all cost significantly more today than they did when the current millages were approved."

Livonia renews public safety millage

Voters in Livonia approved, with 72.5% in support, the renewal of an operating millage that provides funding to the police and fire departments.

Residents last renewed it in 2016 with 80% support. But the millage drew detractors this year because some residents were angry over the city's proposal for a new police headquarters, objections that have ranged from a possible location near a residential area and wetlands it would be built on to a proposed $45 million cost. Some residents believed the police and fire operating millage would fund public facilities, though the two are separate. The millage funds first responders' pay, benefits, equipment and training.

The 1.7-mill property is expected to generate about $10 million in revenue each year for 10 years.

Livonia resident Jeaneen Wyly, 56, said she would vote for the millage as she headed to the polls to vote Tuesday evening at Holmes Middle School. She typically supports millages in the city, she said.

"They deserve all the money," Wyly said of the police and fire departments.

Other races in Wayne County

Several other races were also on Tuesday's primary ballot.

Evans, who is seeking his fourth four-year term in office, sailed to an easy victory in the Democratic primary with about 88% of the vote compared to 12% for challenger Sigmunt J. Szczepkowski Jr. The winner of the primary effectively wins the general election, given Wayne County is a Democratic stronghold.

Michael A. Evans ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.

In Highland Park, Mayor Glenda McDonald will face community activist Shamayim "Mama Shu" Harris in the November general election after the two were the top two vote-getters in Tuesday's primary.

Harris has been active in Highland Park for years, creating her eco-friendly community, Avalon Village. If elected, she'd like the former Highland Towers apartment building, which burned in a fire in 2010 and is set for demolition, to be restored and turned into a mixed-use development including retail space and cafes.

She also wants to continue work of replacing the city's streetlights. A nonprofit called Soulardarity has worked to raise money to install a small number of solar-powered streetlights in Highland Park, and Harris wants to see those small steps continue.

Staff writer Breana Noble contributed.

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