Detailed info on museum tax needed now

Voters across Oakland County, and in neighboring Wayne County, will be determining the fate of a special millage request in November to help fund the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Historical Society, and like with all millage requests – new or renewal – it’s critical that detailed information about this proposal be shared well in advance of ballots being cast.

This millage request has been lingering for nearly two years, thanks to a debacle in the state legislature where in past years these non-profit organizations would seek lawmakers’ approval to put such a proposal on the ballot. These two groups did finally get approval in Lansing but House members neglected to present the bills to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her approval and the issue has been tied up in the courts since the start of 2025. Once the judicial branch ruled in favor of allowing the bills to still be presented to the governor, Whitmer decided that late enactment more than a year after passage presented likely legal problems.

So county commissioners in Oakland and Wayne in July voted to form a joint public authority that has the power to place such a proposal on the ballot without needing approval by state House and Senate members.

In terms of what will be on the ballot in the two counties: a .2-mill tax for 10 years, the revenue from which the two organizations will share in equally. Additionally, the ballot language provides that a portion of the annual revenue can be dispensed to other historical museums but the lion’s share will go to the Charles H. Weight Museum and the Detroit Historical Society which manages the Detroit Historical Museum, the Great Lakes Dossin Museum at Belle Isle and some 300,000 artifacts at historical Fort Wayne.

The .2-mill tax in Oakland would cost the owner of a $600,000 home with a taxable, value of $300,000, $60 annually for this proposal if approved. Oakland County and Wayne County residents would be provided free admission to facilities managed by these two organizations, and funding for school and senior citizen transportation would also be provided from the annual funds.

At first blush, this all sounds pretty good but there are many questions to answer before ballots are passed out this fall.

For starters, we think voters should be given an honest answer as to why Macomb County was left out of the conversation and vote. Rumors two years ago when first proposed suggested that if Macomb County had been included, it was more questionable that such a proposal would pass.

We would also like to hear more about the finances of both of these groups and how these annual tax funds will be directed each year. After all, voters are well beyond the days past of governments just proposing something that on the surface sounds good but no specific details are provided.

Further, aside from just existing to place a joint millage proposal on the ballot, does the two-county authority have any oversight powers or ongoing involvement with the two non-profits?

Voters should also be given more information on just how much of the annual tax haul might go to local museums each year, what museums are eligible and who will be making those determinations. Anything short on details makes this part of the proposal just window dressing to get local support.

Lastly, get this detailed information out now, weeks ahead of absentee ballots going out, is crucial because this tax proposal is not the only millage question appearing on the November ballot and voters should be given ample time to consider which, if any, they might support.

Looking at only our local communities for the November ballot, we see several tax questions that will be decided: Bloomfield Hills, .52 mills for six years, library contract for the Baldwin Public Library; Birmingham Public Schools, bond proposal; and Bloomfield Township, bonding question for building a new fire station and police station.

Then on the ballot there is the millage renewal question for the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, plus state-wide ballot issues that might appear before voters.

Not all proposals on the ballot are going to make it, as we all learned in the August primary election. So the best game plan for everyone asking for taxes is to make your best, detailed case because an educated voter population expects nothing less.