Voters in Grosse Pointes, Harper Woods will decide senior millage proposal
The proposal will only take effect in each city if voters in at least four cities approve it.
Attendees at a recent Silver Cafe Food Truck Initiative event at The Helm, sponsored by Detroit Area Agency on Aging.
Voters in six Wayne County communities will decide whether to pay a new property tax to fund senior services.
The proposal is on the Nov. 5 ballot in the cities of Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe Shores, Grosse Pointe Woods, and Harper Woods.
It would allow officials to levy 0.35 mill in new property taxes for six years. Homeowners will pay $35 per year for every $100,000 in taxable value if the millage passes.
Why is it on the ballot?
Senior advocates say demand for services is rising as the population in those cities ages. Krista Siddall is the executive director of The Helm at the Boll Life Center in Grosse Pointe Farms. The Helm serves seniors in all six communities.
She says the millage revenue would fund essential programs.
“These are things like Meals on Wheels, transportation, friendly reassurance phone calls and case coordination,” Siddall says. “Things that the community needs to remain healthy and have a good quality of life.”
Bracing for the ‘silver tsunami’
Siddall says the older population is growing rapidly, and that will create more demand for senior services. She says 1 in 5 residents in the Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods is over age 60, and that number is increasing.
“In 2028, we are going to see more people over the age of 60 than we have children under the age of 17,” she says. “That ‘silver tsunami’ is going to hit, and we want to be ready for that.”
Bolstering the budget
About 80% of The Helm’s $1.3 million budget comes from sources that can change, such as donations. But Siddall says the millage will provide a more reliable revenue stream.
“Philanthropy is going down since 2020, about 2% a year on average,” she said. “We want to be set for the demographic shift we’re going to see.”
The millage will raise about $1.3 million in its first year if approved. The proposal will only take effect in each city if voters in at least four cities approve it.
Each city would pay the following amounts based on population and property values:
The League of Women Voters of Grosse Pointe will be holding a a panel discussion about the senior services millage from 7-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the Wayne County Community College auditorium, 19503 Vernier Rd., Harper Woods.
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