Farmington-area homeowners face a $150-per-year property tax increase if voters approve the Oakland County Regional Enhancement Millage on Tuesday, August 4.
The proposal would levy 1.5 mills on all taxable property in the Oakland Intermediate School District for six years, 2026 through 2031, raising an estimated $125.7 million countywide in its first year, according to official ballot language. For a home with $100,000 in taxable value, that works out to $150 annually.
Farmington Public Schools is listed as an eligible recipient district. Funds would flow back to participating districts at roughly $781 per student per year, according to Oakland Intermediate Schools projections reported by C&G News on Saturday, July 25.
What FPS says it would do with the money
Superintendent Kelly Coffin said the district has identified uses centered on student success: after-school tutoring, maintaining manageable class sizes, career and technical education, extracurricular activities, and teacher professional development for literacy programs.
"If approved, these funds would help Farmington Public Schools continue investing in people, programs and supports that have the greatest impact on student success," Coffin told C&G News.
Nearly 30 Oakland County school districts passed resolutions requesting the ballot question. Together they represent a majority of the county's student population, the legal threshold required to place a regional enhancement millage before voters.
Critics say it burdens seniors, creates 'donor districts'
Mark Kimble, a trustee for Madison District Public Schools in Madison Heights, called the proposal "completely unnecessary" and argued it shifts costs to seniors on fixed incomes and stretched homeowners. Kimble said consolidating smaller districts would be a better long-term fix than a stopgap millage.
Lathrup Village Mayor Bruce Kantor said at a town hall that about 52% of millage funds collected in his community would go to other school districts, making Lathrup Village a "donor district." Southfield Mayor Kenson Siver raised a similar concern, saying Southfield's growing tax base and shrinking enrollment mean the city would pay more while its schools receive less.
Mike Thompson, a Ferndale resident who runs the Facebook group Taxes Here Are Terrible, said there is no guarantee how the money would be spent and that many residents cannot afford additional taxes.
How and where to vote
Early voting is underway for Farmington Hills residents at the Costick Activities Center, 28600 W. 11 Mile Road, through Sunday, August 2. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. most days, with extended hours Thursday, July 30, from noon to 8 p.m.
Election Day polls open Tuesday, August 4, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Farmington city voters should contact the Farmington City Clerk for their early voting location.
Homeowners can estimate their cost using the calculator at oaklandenhancementmillage.com, which links to the Oakland County Property Gateway for taxable-value lookups.
