Several Communities Have Proposals on the Nov. 2, 2021 Ballot
(Jon Berz, Oct. 5, 2021)
Here are the communities that have proposals on the Nov. 2, 2021 ballot:
Auburn Hills will be voting on four proposals. Proposition A is on amending its charter regarding the start-date of a councilperson’s term. Proposition B issues new policies on filling a vacant council seat. Proposition C attempts to codify councilpersons’ salaries and benefits as established by the Auburn Hills Elected Officials Compensation Commission, and Proposition D recommends the charter’s adoption of gender-neutral language. Auburn Hills will also be voting on raising its library millage to .2976 with the possibility of raising an additional $515,000 in the first year it’s levied.
Clawson will be deciding on whether to authorize and regulate licensed marijuana retailers, along with other marijuana business operations such as a safety compliance facility, secure transporter, processors and growers.
Farmington Hills will be voting on an additional 1.7 mills in funding for Fire and Police Departments, which would raise an estimated 6.3 million dollars in its first year of approval.
Lathrup Village proposes to amend their charter to extend the deadlines for budget presentation and adoption by one month.
Oak Park‘s proposal is to renew millages to fund personnel, equipment and operations for their public safety department, including police and fire equipment, along with waste collection and disposal.

Orchard Lake is proposing to borrow 4.5 million dollars to fund the acquisition, construction, furnishing and equipping of improvements to their police department in addition to a new public works facility to replace their existing public works garage.
Pleasant Ridge will be voting on a millage increase to finance water infrastructure, including water main replacement and construction, public and private lead service line replacement and associated restoration work.
Rochester Hills has a millage proposal for improving and enhancing the city’s park system facilities. A levy of .1660 mills would generate an estimated $647,962 in its first year.
Royal Oak will be voting on several proposals. Proposal 2021-01 seeks to amend their charter to ensure that state election laws apply to all elections in the city. Proposal 2021-02 would allow the City Assessor to designate another individual to attend Review Board meetings in their place. Proposal 2021-03 seeks to eliminate language making the Public Health Department and City Health Officer position mandatory, and Proposal 2021-04 would levy millages funding police, fire, emergency medical services, refuse collection, disposal, and curbside recycling.
Additionally, Royal Oak‘s  Proposed Ordinance 2021-07 seeks to stop the City from relocating the Veteran’s War Memorial.

South Lyon has three amendments proposed. Proposal 1 provides for the establishment of polling places within precincts established by the Election Commission. Proposal 2 seeks to abstain councilpersons from voting on questions which present a conflict of interest under state or local law, and Proposal 3 intends to clarify that in the event of a conflict between state law and local charter, state law maintains control.
Walled Lake‘s Proposal 1 seeks to define “residency” of elected officials as “maintaining a continuous and uninterrupted domicile in a principle permitted residential dwelling structure located entirely within the established municipal boundaries of the City of Walled Lake throughout any term of office.” Proposal 2 aims to clarify eligibility requirements such that no person holding elected office can also be an elected or compensated employee of any other city, township or village. Proposal 3 would bar a person from holding office if they had previously been removed from an elected or appointed office due to misconduct.
Wixom‘s charter amendment seeks to increase spending limits from $3,000 to $10,000 for purchasing materials and supplies, improvements, and contracts, subject to council and finance director approval.

Oxford Township aims to expand and refurbish their library through borrowing 9.1 million dollars for renovation, construction and furnishing. This proposal would expand the Youth Services Department, Early Literacy and Special Needs resources and the Adult Services Department; add study rooms, conference rooms and computer labs; expand the Community Room; renovate existing life-long learning spaces; and upgrade the HVAC infrastructure to include energy efficient rooftop units, boilers and automated controls.
Brandon School District‘s bond proposal would generate funds for school buildings, instructional technology and equipment, buses, parking areas, playgrounds, athletic fields and facilities. The proposal seeks authorization to borrow up to 26.1 million dollars.
Goodrich Area Schools proposes to renew its millage to provide continued funding for school district operations.
Huron Valley School District has two millage proposals on its ballot. The first seeks to renew the school district funding millage that is set to expire in 2022, and the second aims to generate additional funding for operations.
Lamphere Schools aims to renew its operations millage to continue general operations. The proposed 18 mills would generate close to 14 million dollars for the 2022 calendar year.

Madison District Public Schools proposes to borrow up to 11.4 million dollars to replace roofs at the high school, middle school, and early childhood center, and remodel and re-equip the high school in part for classroom, security, mechanical, electrical and other infrastructure improvements.
Romeo Community Schools seeks funding of up to 87.5 million dollars for constructing, improving and remodeling school district buildings; building and equipping an addition to the Croswell Early Childhood Center; constructing and furnishing a new Robotics/STEM Center on the campus of Romeo Middle School; furnishing and equipping school district buildings for technology and safety; building and equipping outdoor learning spaces, athletic fields, support facilities and playgrounds; developing landscaping sites; and purchasing athletic equipment and buses. The district also proposes a renewal of their operating millage to generate 8 million dollars for general operating purposes during the 2022 calendar year.

For a complete list that includes details on each proposal, view the PDF from Oakland County’s website here: https://www.oakgov.com/clerkrod/elections/Documents/11022021%20Proposal%20List.pdf
For all 2021 video interviews visit our Candidate Interview Page. New videos are added frequently up until Election Day, so please check back often!
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