3-11-19 (Special)

The Davison Township Board of Trustees convened a special meeting on March 11, 2019, primarily to address the transition of the Police Special Assessment. Due to changes in the law, the township must convert the existing flat fee assessment into a millage rate.

The discussion centered on how this conversion would impact residential and commercial property owners. The board reviewed various financial scenarios and considered different allocation methods to ensure a fair distribution of the assessment based on the level of police service provided by the township.

• Tim Elkins: Supervisor
• Cindy Shields: Clerk
• Matthew Karr: Trustee
• Travis Howell: Trustee
• Pat Miller: Trustee (Absent)
• David Lattie: Attorney
• Rick Freeman: Chief of Police
• Gerald Harris: Deputy Chief of Police
• Roberto Acosta: Attendee

• Police Special Assessment Conversion: The board discussed the necessity of converting the current flat fee for the police assessment into a millage rate following legal changes. Attorney David Lattie suggested that varying the millage rates per parcel for commercial and residential properties could be a fair approach.
• Decision: The board decided to put the conversion table (provided by Supervisor Elkins) into effect.

• The conversion is required because the law regarding the assessment structure has changed.
• The discussion aimed to find the fairest way to spread the assessment allocation between commercial and residential areas.

• Supervisor Elkins presented a worksheet detailing the impact of the conversion based on taxable value. The worksheet included scenarios for:
  • A 5% to 7.5% increase for residents and businesses.
  • A 25% to 40% increase for residents and businesses.

• November 2020: Identified as a potential timeframe to propose a Police Millage increase on the ballot, with the note that doing so during this election would not incur additional costs to taxpayers.