By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
Residents in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights will have multiple proposals on their general election ballots when they vote Nov. 3.
A countywide proposal from Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency is for a regional enchantment millage renewal.
The revenue raised from by the proposed millage will be collected by Wayne RESA and distributed to local constituent public school districts including eligible public school academies within the boundaries of the Wayne RESA based on pupil membership count.
If approved, the 2-mill property tax would raise an estimated $90.4 million for the 33 school districts when first levied in 2022. The six-year millage would expire in 2027.
Dearborn, Crestwood, Dearborn Heights District No. 7 and Westwood school districts are are included in the schools set to benefit.
In Dearborn Heights, voters will decide on a sanitation millage renewal that would raise $1.3 million annually for 10 years, commencing in 2021.
According to the proposal, the .95 mill represents 95.40 cents per $1,000 taxable valuation on all taxable property in Dearborn Heights, which has approximately 20,000 households.
The funds collected are for the city’s contractual payment obligation to the Central Wayne County Sanitation Authority.
Two statewide proposals are also on the ballot for all residents in both cities.
Michigan Proposal 20-1: Use of State and Local Park Funds Amendment is a proposed constitutional amendment to allow money from oil and gas mining on state-owned lands to continue to be collected in state funds for land protection and creation and maintenance of parks, nature areas, and public recreation facilities; and to describe how money in those state funds can be spent.
The proposal would allow the State Parks Endowment Fund to continue receiving money from sales of oil and gas from state-owned lands to improve, maintain and purchase land for state parks, and for fund administration, until its balance reaches $800 million; require subsequent oil and gas revenue from state-owned lands to go into the Natural Resources Trust Fund; require at least 20 percent of endowment fund annual spending go toward state park improvement; and require at least 25 percent of trust fund annual spending go toward parks and public recreation areas and at least 25 percent toward land conservation.
The second proposal is Michigan Proposal 20-2: Search Warrant for Electronic Data Amendment which is a proposed constitutional amendment to require a search warrant in order to access a person’s electronic data or electronic communications.
This amendment would prohibit unreasonable searches or seizures of a person’s electronic data and electronic communications; and require a search warrant to access a person’s electronic data or electronic communications, under the same conditions currently required for the government to obtain a search warrant to search a person’s house or seize a person’s things.
For more information on the election or candidates go to www.lwvddh.org or www.vote411.org.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected])