RATES FIVE TIMES THIS YEAR, AND ANOTHER RATE HIKE IS LIKELY COMING NEXT WEEK. WELL 12 DAYS
TO GO UNTIL THE MIDTERM
ELECTIONS AND TODAY IN OAKLAND
COUNTY, THEY TESTED OUT THE
EQUIPMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT
EVERYTHING IS READY FOR NOVEMBER
8TH. BUT ARE YOU READY FOR WHAT
YOU’LL SEE ON YOUR BALLOT? PAULA
TUTMAN IS LIVE IN PONTIAC WITH A
LOOK AT SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT
VOTERS MIGHT SKIP OVER OR THEY
MIGHT MISUNDERSTAND PAULA I LOVE
THAT. YOU ASKED TO MAKE SURE
YOU’RE READY. OR ARE YOU READY?
BECAUSE YOU CAN THINK OF YOUR
BALLOT AS TWO DIFFERENT WAYS TO
USE YOUR VOICE. WHEN YOU VOTE
FOR AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, YOU
SEND SOMEONE TO SOMEPLACE ELSE
TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR YOU, BUT
WHEN YOU TURN YOUR BALLOT TO THE
BACK, GO THROUGH ALL OF YOU
ABOUT THE PARTISAN SECTION AND
THEN GO TO THE BACK. YOU ARE
ACTUALLY MAKING THE DECISIONS
THAT AFFECT YOU DIRECTLY. PLEASE
PLEASE TURN YOUR BALLOT OVER AND
ON THE BACK. IT’S THE BOND
RENEWAL’S THE MILLAGE IS AND
LOCAL INITIATIVES THAT YOU
CHOOSE FOR YOURSELF. MELANIE
RISK IS THE STERLING HEIGHTS
CLERK. THESE ARE PROPOSALS THAT
AFFECT TRANSPORTATION, THE
EFFECT OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, IT
SAYS, HOW MUCH MONEY YOU AS A
TAXPAYER ARE GOING TO PAY FOR
THESE PROPOSALS TO FUND THESE
SERVICES TO OUR PUBLIC? NOW,
LET’S FACE IT. SOME OF THESE
PROPOSALS HAVE REALLY CONFUSING
LANGUAGE, AND IT MIGHT BE
AMBIGUOUS OR HAVE A DOUBLE
MEANING, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO
UNDERSTAND. AND THE LANGUAGE ON
THE BALLOT. SO YOU KNOW HOW
YOU’RE ACTUALLY VOTING. DON’T
JUST LOOK AT THE FRONT GO. I’M
DONE. MAKE SURE YOU TURN THAT
OVER. LISA BROWN IS THE CLERK
AND REGISTER OF DEEDS FOR
OAKLAND COUNTY. BUT SOMETIMES
YES MEANS YES, BUT SOMETIMES YES
MEANS NOW THEY CAN BE CONFUSING
AND UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN A MILL OR, YOU KNOW WHAT
IS THE DIFFERENCE IF IT’S A
SINKING FUND LIKE THERE’S A LOT
THAT GOES INTO IT, SO IF YOUR
BALANCE, SAYS AD VALOREM, FOR
INSTANCE, IT SIMPLY MEANS
ACCORDING TO VALUE, SO AN AD
VALOREM TAX MEANS ACCORDING TO
THE ASSESSED VALUE OF THE
PROPERTY, ALEVI IS THE ACT OF
IMPOSING A TAX OR FEE. MILLS ARE
A UNIT OF DOLLARS, SO EVERY
$1000 OF TAXABLE VALUE, SO LET’S
JUST SAY YOUR HOME HAS A TAXABLE
VALUE OF $116,000. AND THE
BALLOT IS ASKING FOR A 0.95 MIL
. YOU PAY ABOUT $9 PER MONTH IN
ADDITIONAL TAXES IF YOU APPROVE
THAT MILLAGE, AND BY THE WAY YOU
CAN FIND THAT ASSESSED TAXABLE
VALUE OF YOUR HOME ON YOUR TAX
BILL, A BOND IS A REQUEST TO
TAKE ON MORE DEBT AND THE
AGREEMENT THAT YOUR TAXES CAN BE
RAISED TO PAY OFF THAT DEBT. A
SINKING FUND MEANS MONIES WILL
BE SET ASIDE FOR GRADUAL
REPAYMENT OF THE DEBT AND TO
AMEND SIMPLY MEANS TO CHANGE
WHAT’S CURRENTLY ALREADY IN
EXISTENCE. CRAIG BRAGG IS THE
CLERK FOR ROMULUS AND GIVES A
GREAT EXAMPLE OF CAUSE AND
EFFECT BECAUSE IN AUGUST,
ROMMEL’S VOTERS HAD A CHARTER
AMENDMENT FOR A FIRE AND POLICE
SERVICES. MILLAGE IT’S LIKE A
MILLAGE, BUT IT WAS A CHARTER
AMENDMENT FOR MILLAGE FOR OUR
PUBLIC SAFETY PASSED
OVERWHELMINGLY, SO MONEY’S
REPUBLIC SAFETY CAN NOW BE
RAISED WITHOUT TAP. PING INTO
THE GENERAL FUND, SO THOSE
MONEYS CAN NOW BE USED FOR
IMPROVING OTHER CITY SERVICES.
SO THIS WILL ALLOW THEM TO, UM,
MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE
ADEQUATE PERSONNEL. UM THAT THEY
WILL HAVE THE EQUIPMENT THAT
THEY NEED SO THAT THEY CAN
PROVIDE THE PUBLIC SERVICE FOR
THE RESIDENTS HERE IN ROMULUS.
YOU KNOW THAT’S REALLY A GREAT
EXAMPLE BECAUSE IT REALLY DOES
SHOW THAT THE BACK OF THE BALLOT
IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE FRONT OF
THE BALLOT, AND THEY’RE ACTUALLY
SOME RACES WHERE THEY HAVE
SEVERAL DIFFERENT PAGES BECAUSE
THERE’S SO MANY OF THESE BALLOT
PROPOSALS THAT ACTUALLY AFFECTS
YOU ON THE GROUND LEVEL AT YOUR
KITCHEN TABLE AND IN YOUR WALLET
THE FIRST TIME YOU SEE YOUR
BALLOT, CHRISTIE ISN’T THE TIME
YOU’RE VOTING. YOU SHOULD REALLY
LOOK AT YOUR SAMPLE BALLOT. SO
THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE
LOOKING AT, AND YOU HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK THINGS UP.
YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. IT’S NOT A
GUESSING GAME. NO IT’S NOT. YOU
GOT TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK. PAULA
AND I REALLY LOVE THAT. YOU
DEFINED A LOT OF THOSE TERMS,
BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE ASSUME WHEN
WE THINK WE KNOW WHAT IT MEANS,
BUT THIS WAS REALLY EXCELLENT.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK
THAT STUFF, RIGHT? I KNOW IT’S
HARD TO UNDERSTAND SOMETIMES.
YEAH, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT IF WE
CAN READ IT AHEAD OF TIME AND
UNDERSTAND WHAT WE’RE DEALING
WITH. IT’S REALLY GOING TO MAKE
A DIFFERENCE IN WHERE WE LIVE
WORK AND PLAY EVERY DAY. SO
THANKS, PAULA.
CLICKONDETROIT.COM IS FULL OF
EXACTLY THE TYPE OF VALUABLE
INFORMATION THAT PAULA AND THOSE
CLERKS WERE TALKING ABOUT. JUST
CLICK DECISION 2022 IN THE TOP
LEFT DROP DOWN MENU AND YOU’LL
BE TAKEN TO THIS PAGE. YOU SEE
RIGHT THERE, THE VOTER GUIDE HAS
EASILY DIGESTIBLE INFO ON ALL OF
THE KEY RACES PLUS FOR EACH
BALLOT PROPOSAL. YOU CAN FIND
OUT WHAT IT IS AND WHO’S BEHIND
IT, ALONG WITH SOME INDEPENDENT
FACT CHECKING THAT WE HAVE DONE
THERE IS ALSO A LINK TO THE
STATE WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN FIND