Dexter Community Schools.MLive file photo

DEXTER, MI - A multigenerational activity millage proposed by Dexter Community Schools would pay for the Dexter Senior Center, construction and operations of a new Dexter Community Center and youth and community programming.

Dexter Community Schools approved the millage proposal for the Aug. 2 election ballot that would increase the amount of taxes assessed on all property in the school district by 1 mill, or $1 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation, for 20 years.

If approved, the millage would provide funding for operating a system of public recreation and playgrounds, levying approximately $1.44 million in 2022.

In the wake of the district’s latest round of informational community forums on Wednesday, July 20, here are answers to some of the more pressing questions surrounding the millage.

Why is it on the ballot in August?

Dexter resident Mary Parsons asked during the forum why the district was asking voters to approve the millage in August, as opposed to the midterm election date in November.

“For something as important as raising our taxes this amount, a lot of people are thinking that many aren’t paying attention,” Parsons said. “Some people are wondering why not have more people in the community involved in making the decision, if it’s going to be a small number of people either way?”

Dexter Superintendent Chris Timmis said putting the proposal on the August ballot allows the district to begin collecting taxes in December that it can begin to use toward programming, rather than having to wait another year if waiting until November.

Putting the proposal on the August ballot during a primary year likely won’t make a significant difference in voter turnout, Timmis said.

“We find that our numbers (of voters) between August and November are not that far off,” Timmis said. “It really comes down to when the funding would come available.”

Why is Dexter Community Schools leading the effort for the millage?

The recreation system funded by the millage would be a community recreation system, serving youth, community education and senior programming.

The Recreation Authority Act 321 of 2000 allows a municipality, school district or combination of two or more municipalities or school districts to bring a ballot proposal to voters of not more than 1 mill for 20 years on all taxable property within the territory of an established recreation authority.

Because Dexter Community Schools cuts through eight townships within its 84 square miles, it is uniquely positioned to be the recreation authority via a millage, as opposed to the City of Dexter, which would only be able to serve citizens of the city, Timmis said.

What would the millage pay for?

The $1.44 million the millage would generate annually would fund three core priorities:

Who would oversee the funds?

Oversight of the millage funds would be from the Dexter School Board, because it’s the legal entity.

If the millage is approved, the board would establish an advisory committee to create short- and long-term recreation plans for the community. The committee would also have authority to create annual budgets and make formal recommendations to the school board.

The committee would be comprised of non-voting members, including the superintendent, the schools’ chief financial officer and community education director.

The rest of the committee would include one school board representative; one or two middle or high school students, two Dexter Senior Center representatives nominated by the senior center board, one representative from the Dexter Community Fund nominated by the fund’s board and four to eight resident who represent fine arts, adult recreation and enrichment, youth recreation and enrichment and general community interests.

Why go for the maximum 1 mill?

In order to fund core priorities, Timmis estimated Dexter would need to increase the amount of taxes assessed by approximately .87 to .89 mills.

When you take into account the potential of Headlee Amendment rollbacks, which happen because state law does not allow property assessments to increase faster than the rate of inflation, Timmis said, a 1-mill increase would generate enough revenue to fund what it intends to provide through the millage.

How much will it cost taxpayers?

For homeowners with a taxable value of $150,00 - or a cash value of $300,000 - the 1-mill increase would cost approximately $150 in 2022.

A homeowner with a $300,000 taxable value - $600,000 cash value. - on the other hand, would pay $300 annually.

How does the millage help the Dexter Senior Center?

The Dexter Senior Center receives just 20% of its funding from local agencies, with approximately 80% of its funding coming via grants.

With the district informing the senior center it would help find it a new home for senior activities after it sold the old Copeland school building where it currently leases space from the district, Timmis said a millage would help all community entities involved.

Interim Operations Manager Jim Carson said the Dexter Senior Center is the only of its kind in the region that is primarily self-sustaining, making it reliant on donors and grant funding to maintain its $75,000 annual operating budget. Other school district in Washtenaw County, like Saline Area Schools, Whitmore Lake Public Schools and Lincoln Consolidated Schools, each have a recreation millage in place.

Timmis said the senior center needs about $250,000 to operate annually and would see about $300,000 per year generated through the millage, if it’s approved.

What happens with pay to participate?

DCS spends about $1 million a year on middle and high school athletics and brings in about $250,000 annually in participation fees and admission fees. Another $700,000 is taken out of its K-12 budget to offset other expenses like coaches, field maintenance, officials and transportation.

If the millage is approved, pay to participate fees for district students would be eliminated, Timmis said, although the millage won’t pay for those fees directly.

An example of offsetting that cost, Timmis said, would be paying for the operations of the community pool out of its utilities budget. The advantage, he said, would be allowing the rest of the community to have more access to the pool if the district were able to hire people to staff it more consistently.

How would it impact community education and recreation?

With DCS currently serving as the community’s primary source for community education and recreation programming, those programs currently are 100% fee-based, costing participants between $300,000 and $400,000 annually, which limits the types of programming both entities can offer, Timmis said.

Being able to use millage funds to pay for operations of recreation and education programs would allow the district to provide more programs and pay individuals to run them, from sports to community theater and the fine arts.

What would a community center look like and when could it get built?

If the millage is approved, the oversight committee would work with the community to develop an overall scope for a community center, allowing access to things like an indoor walking track and turf fields, Timmis said.

Because the millage would provide a steady stream of funding for 20 years, the district could sell bonds from those dollars to get money to fund building a community center, Timmis said. Another $200,000 to $300,000 would be required annually to operate the facility.

With the district owning 360 acres of land, there are plenty of options for where to build a community center, Timmis said, estimating a new community center might take two years to build once design plans are in place.

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