ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Orion Township officials are racing to craft new ballot language after voters rejected two public safety millages Tuesday, with a November deadline looming and residents citing tax fatigue as a driving force behind the defeats.
Watch Jeffrey Lindblom's report below
Orion Township leaders held a special meeting Friday afternoon after voters rejected two public safety millages in Tuesday's primary, sparking concerns about the future of emergency services in the community.
Watch our previous coverage
The failed proposals sought a 28% increase for fire services — which would have funded 9 new team members and accommodations for them — and a 9% increase for police services contracted through the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. Township officials warn the defeats could create a public safety crisis by 2027.
Scott Gabriel, a 30-year Orion Township resident, said the outcome reflects a broader frustration among voters.
"It's like millage fatigue," Gabriel said. "And I just believe people get sick of it and vote no down the whole board."
Gabriel said he understands costs rise over time and that millages follow suit, but believes the township is hitting taxpayers too aggressively.
"Just asking for too much for too many different things all at the same time," Gabriel said.
Ken Dawley, an 11-year resident, said he believes the township is over-taxing him for the services he receives.
"We're trying to keep our head above the water," Dawley said.
He said if the township wants his vote in favor of a millage, officials will need to break down the costs.
"I'm paying taxes on unrealized gains," Dawley said. "Show us how it's spent."
Dawley said he is skeptical of warnings that services will suffer without the funding.
"It's the same song and dance that we get. If that doesn't pass, this will happen… does it happen? No," Dawley said.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the 9% increase the millage renewal sought followed a rise in the department's own operational costs. He said the contracted model saves the township money because it does not have to build a police force from the ground up. Without millage funding, Bouchard warned, response times for crime will not only drastically increase — but service may not be available at all.
"We have one lieutenant that runs the substation and then pretty much everyone else is a worker bee, meaning they're out there, on the streets, keeping the community safe," Bouchard said. "Nobody likes to pay taxes, but I think there are some taxes that I think people understand will affect their quality of life."
Gabriel acknowledged the stakes.
"You need municipal services," Gabriel said. "It's a strong community."
Township Supervisor Chris Barnett said the only funding source for the two public safety services is through those millages. Without them, he called the township's situation heading into 2027 critical. Barnett said officials are consulting the community directly to find a solution that works for everyone.
"We want resident input," Barnett said. "We believe we still need what we asked for, but we want to be good stewards of our residents tax dollars and understand the pain that everyone is feeling. We heard that a lot on Tuesday."
Barnett says they plan to bring three new millage proposals to the board. The first two would see no increase in both fire and police services, and the third would ask a 4-percent increase for fire.
The township has just a few days to finalize the language it will use when bringing the millages back to voters on November's ballot.
———
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
