At the January 27, 2025, City Council Meeting, City Council unanimously voted to propose a restoration of the City's Operating Millage to 5.445 mills—the same as the 2015 level. This proposal will appear on the ballot for the Tuesday, May 6, 2025, Election.

In 2015, the voters authorized the City to levy an additional 5.4452 mills above the charter millage, now rolled back to 11.1975 mills, which expires on December 31, 2025. This ballot proposal would restore the expiring 2015 Headlee Override of 5.4452 mills, for an additional 10 years, to expire in 2035. The primary focus is to secure funding levels to maintain high-quality services that the public relies on.

Approximately 70% of General Fund expenses are related to personnel. These include first responders such as Police, Fire, and Public Works. This ballot proposal will secure the funding to maintain staffing for these critical services.

This proposal also will allow some flexibility for the City to be able to fund long-deferred capital maintenance for City buildings.

If approved, the millage is subject to annual rollbacks per the Headlee Amendment.

After the rejection of the initial proposal in the November 2024 election, City staff and Council hosted several community engagement sessions to gather feedback. We've listened to your responses over the last several months and are grateful for your opinions on the next steps. You made your voice heard and we appreciate the engagement we've received.

So, what changes did we make?

• The new proposal requests a smaller millage of 5.445 operating mills, rather than the previously requested millage rate of 8.3. Also, the proposed May 2025 millage is not in perpetuity. Instead, there is an expiration date of ten years.
• A Martin Road Recreation Facility is no longer being considered, and instead the City is moving forward only with the grant-funded restroom/concession building.
• The proposed Public Safety Facility will be further developed to maximize cost efficiencies prior to a future bond proposal. 
• In the last few months, the Fire Department modified its fleet vehicle replacement plan, the Human Resources Department converted retirees to the Medicare Advantage Plan, City Directors reduced staffing as vacancies occurred, and the City Clerk's Office consolidated election precincts—saving the City millions of dollars. City Council and staff are committed to reducing spending and securing grants whenever possible.
   

How would the proposed millage be prioritized?

The proposed millage would secure funding to maintain essential public services. Relying only on the charter millage (without the proposed override) would cause the City to face significant deficits—eliminating approximately $4 million from the annual budget. Although a rejection of this millage would lower property taxes, the City would see significant service level cuts, including Police, Fire, Public Works, and general public services.

What is a mill or Headlee Override? What will the ballot look like? Why is Ferndale doing this?

Find all the answers to your questions and more on the Headlee Override General Operating Proposal page. You can also email 2024proposals@ferndalemi.gov or call the City Manager's Office at 248-546-2360. We also encourage you to set up a meeting with staff to learn more about City services. We'd love to meet you and help you navigate this vote. Thank you for your time!