Lansing voters weigh millage restoration and healthcare board

Lansing voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to restore the city’s authorized property-tax rate to 20 mills for essential services and create a citizens’ healthcare advisory board.

The two city proposals concern funding for police, fire and street maintenance, and a proposed community role in developing recommendations on healthcare costs and access.

What the millage proposal would do

The essential services proposal would restore the city’s authorized rate from 19.2214 mills to 20 mills for 2027 through 2031, according to ballot language published by Lansing City Pulse.

One mill equals $1 in tax per $1,000 of taxable property value. The proposed restoration would increase the authorized rate by 0.7786 mills.

Approval would increase the city’s taxing authority. It would not, by itself, establish the rate the city would levy.

The ballot language estimates that the restoration would generate approximately $2.6 million in its first year if approved and levied in full. Its stated purposes include police and fire protection and maintenance of local roads and sidewalks.

City Chief Strategy Officer Jake Brower told WILX that the millage supports approximately 29 police officers and 24 firefighters. Public Service Director Andy Kilpatrick told the station that it funds nearly a quarter of Lansing’s local street projects.

Voters approved a similar restoration by a 2-to-1 margin in 2021, the Lansing State Journal reported.

What the healthcare proposal would do

The charter amendment would require creation of a Citizens’ Advisory Healthcare Action Board and a Lansing Healthcare Action Plan, according to the ballot language.

The board would gather community input and prepare recommendations addressing healthcare costs and access. WMUK reported that the proposed process includes public forums and a report every two years.

The petition campaign submitted more than 7,000 signatures, according to WILX’s reporting on the proposal.

City Action Michigan, formerly Community Action Michigan, formed in April, WMUK reported. It is separate from the existing organization Michigan Community Action.

WMUK reported that campaign filings showed $1.4 million in contributions from three out-of-state organizations: CityScope Inc., Global Impact Social Welfare Fund and American Opportunity Action.

The station reported that CityScope, the largest contributor, had no publicly available financial filings or website. City Action disputed descriptions of its funding as “dark money,” citing its publicly available campaign records.

Supporters told WMUK that residents should help develop local responses to healthcare problems. Critics questioned cities’ ability to change healthcare costs and the campaign’s financial backing.

Lansing City Attorney Gregory Venker told WILX that the city would not be the body implementing the proposed action plan.