Winter taxes might have a bit less sting this year.
Independence Township Board voted Sept. 18 to rollback millage rates.
The 2006 levy was 7.0378 total. The 2007 levy is 6.887, for a total rollback of 0.1508 mills. Each mill equals one dollar per $1,000 of assessed property value.
‘It’s the first time will have less than seven mills allocated,? said Treasurer Jim Wenger. ‘We’ve rolled down mileages for the headlee, so I think that’s positive for people as they look at it.?
Supervisor Dave Wagner said it was below seven because the township has been able to work as a team to save money, by making budget cuts, doing more ‘in house? procedures instead of hiring someone else, and department heads not using all the money they were given.
‘As long as we can have these kinds of savings, we can allow the millage to keep going back, and that’s what we should have been doing for years. But the problem is, when you’re rolling in money, you don’t look at these issues and that’s the bad side of government. Because as long as things are going fine and you have money coming in from everywhere possible, hey, let’s just spend it,? he said.
Wagner said government needs to be run like a business.
‘When you run it like a business, you look at every doggone thing you’re doing to make sure you’re doing the appropriate thing for the township and the taxpayers,? said Wagner.
Trustee Dan Kelly said there are three steps to Headlee. One, the township is allowed to reverse a millage rollback without going to the voters. However, if the township wanted to raise taxes higher, it would have to go to the voters.
‘Headlee has in their formula consistent with the prime and so forth that would not require a vote of the people, which is known as the ‘headlee increase,?? said Kelly. ‘Most municipalities take their Headlee increase.?
Kelly said Independence didn’t need to make that increase because they have kept a good ‘fiscal line on the township.?
‘What we did was effectively lower taxes and that is a pretty unusual thing to be doing these days,? he said.
The Headlee amendment ‘limits the increase in local property taxes to inflation plus new construction. Any increases in assessed valuation of property over and above the rate of inflation and new construction will reduce the maximum authorized mileage rate, known as the Headlee rollback.?
Township Assessor Beverly Shaver said its purpose is to limit township taxes to the rate of inflation.
Most residents shouldn’t expect much change in their winter taxes, Shaver said.
‘Yes, we are giving them a lower millage rate, however, the average person’s taxable went up because of the rate of inflation,? she said.
Wagner said despite many people’s opinions, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is not telling him what to do. Instead, he likes to pick Patterson’s brain and find out how he accomplishes different things, especially the budget.
‘He has helped me immensely,? Wagner said. ‘It’s great when you don’t have to raise taxes, and hopefully we can keep heading in that direction.?