Washtenaw County Non-Motorized Organizations Endorse November Non-Motorized Funding Ballot Issue
On Tuesday, November 8, Washtenaw County pedestrians, bicyclists and the disabled will have the opportunity to vote on a four-year millage that would not only pay for approximately 200 miles of road improvements but also have 20% of funds raised go to non-motorized projects in the County. The WBWC is one of many endorsers of this millage and urges area residents to vote “yes” on this issue.
Specifically, the non-motorized funds raised from the millage would be used for…
Border To Border Trail projects, such as placing the Trail off-road between Dexter and Ann Arbor, building a tunnel under railroad tracks in Ann Arbor’s Bandemer Park for off-road Trail passage to the west and helping take the Trail completely off-road through Ypsilanti.
Re-establishing the popular Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission’s “Connecting Communities” program that helps fund non-B2B trail projects (such as the Lohr Road & Platt Road paved pathways in Pittsfield Township).
Bike lanes and widened road shoulders.
Sidewalks.
Lighted crosswalks.
In addition, a portion of the non-motorized funds raised would go directly to County cities and villages for their non-motorized projects. Each year, for four years, this is what local governments are projected to receive for projects such as bike lanes, sidewalks, and other non-motorized improvements…
City of Ann Arbor - $500,000/year
City of Ypsilanti - $45,000/year
City of Chelsea - $25,000/year
City of Saline - $25,000/year
City of Dexter - $20,000/year
City of Milan - $15,000/year
Village of Manchester - $10,000/year
Non-Motorized organizations endorsing the November 2016 Road & Non-Motorized Millage…
Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society – www.aabts.org
Ann Arbor Velo Club - www.annarborveloclub.org
Common Cycle – www.commoncycle.org
Friends Of The Border To Border Trail – www.bordertoborder.org
Program To Educate All Cyclists – www.bikeprogram.org
Washtenaw Bicycling & Walking Coalition – www.wbwc.org
Is this millage at a tax increase? No. Using a statute on the books since 1909 (Act 283), the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners imposed a single year levy of 0.5-mills for roads in each of the last two years. The current ballot proposal would just continue the same levy for the next four years (2017-2020).
What would be the cost to the average homeowner? A 0.5 millage will cost a homeowner $50 per $100,000 in taxable value on their property. The average Washtenaw County homeowner will pay $35 per year. Property owners will not see an increase in their tax bill as compared to the previous two years, as the proposed millage essentially extends the Public Act283 road millage which levied the same amount (0.5 mills) in 2015 and 2016.
For more information on the ballot issue visit www.justfixtheroads.org
