Vote ‘Yes” to support our public school millage

Property taxes.
No one likes to pay them, but without taxes, we wouldn’t have usable roads, sanitation service, drinkable water, police and fire service, and much more that we all tend to take for granted.
Take for granted, in the sense that we believe those services will always be there – as if by magic.
There’s no magic to it.
Maybe it’s not the best system, but property taxes make cities able to function.
And they also fuel our schools.
This coming Tuesday, voters will head to the polls — many have already voted early, by absentee ballot — to consider whether to renew a small millage for our Hamtramck Public School District.
The district is asking for a renewal of 3 mills – actually, a reduction from the previous 4 mills property owners have been paying for the past 10 years.
This revenue source goes toward paying for upkeep to the district’s aging buildings.
In all, the tax generates about $800,000, and the cost to the average homeowner represents less than $100 per year, according to the city assessor’s office.
That’s a small price to pay to insure that our kids don’t have to sit in crumbling school buildings.
There are some irresponsible city council candidates in this town claiming that this tax renewal is not needed, and that property taxes in general can be lowered. That is a bunch of rubbish.
These same candidates claim our city and school district can function without them, but not surprisingly, offer no realistic plan to continue services without funding.
Our kids deserve to be educated in well-maintained school buildings. It’s that simple.
We urge voters to cast a YES vote to renew the school millage in this August Primary Election.
Your children’s education and well-being deserve that.
Posted August 4, 2023