Voters say ‘no’ to road repair tax

By Charles Sercombe
Hamtramck voters joined with voters statewide in rejecting a ballot proposal to raise the sales tax to fix roads.
Statewide, voters gave the proposal a thumping by 80 percent – a margin of disapproval that hasn’t happened in 50 years, The Detroit News reported. In Hamtramck the margin of defeat was equally bad, by 75 percent.
Only 913 voters bothered voting on the proposal, one of the lowest turnouts in recent history.
Previous polls taken predicted the state proposal was going down by a wide margin.
If it had passed, Hamtramck would have seen almost an additional $1 million in state revenue – something that would have secured the city’s finances for many years.
But in various media reports voters had two reasons for turning it down: the funding mechanism was too complicated and the inability of legislators to come up with a plan earlier.
Legislators have been arguing for several years over how to fix the state’s increasingly worsening roads, and even Republican legislators disagreed with Gov. Rick Snyder’s attempts to come up with a plan.
Snyder, a Republican, had endorsed the state proposal, but in its defeat even he conceded it was too complex for voters to rally around.
Snyder has said he and the legislature will make funding road repairs a top priority in the months to come.
There have been several other options floated in recent weeks, but nothing concrete.
Municipal leaders are worried that the next plan may include reducing state revenue, something many communities – including Hamtramck — won’t be able to afford.
The next election date for Hamtramck is Aug. 4 when a primary will be held to whittle down the number of city council candidates vying for three seats. Six out of the nine candidates seeking office will then square off in the November General Election.
Also on the August ballot will be the public school’s millage renewal proposal, which was shot down in a special election in February. The school district is seeking the renewal of 18 tax mills for its general operation.