Leaders in Hamtramck are calling on voters to back a mileage renewal on August 4 that will help the school district and the city continue to fund and expand recreational facilities and activities, including parks, sports fields and pools.
interim superintendent
The millage is not a new tax. Instead it is a 10-year extension of an existing funding mechanism that is set to expire this year.
Officials say it is crucial to keep the funding going for the well-being and the future of the community and are counting on residents to deliver a “Yes” vote next month.
“This renews every 10 years. It’s the same amount for all of our taxpayers throughout the district, and the recreation millage is really important,” said Hamtramck Public Schools Superintendent Jim Larson-Shidler.
Programs and activities
According to Larson-Shidler, the millage is essential for the schools’ partnership with Hamtramck Parks Conservancy, which is working to create fields that will lead to developing sports initiatives, including soccer leagues, for children and adults.
“It’s just a great opportunity for people to get out, be active, be out in the community, and be with friends and family,” Larson-Shidler told the Yemeni American News.
The millage amounts to $3.93 for every $1,000 in taxable property value, a small price to pay for the good it brings to the community, officials say. Renewal will not increase taxes for residents.
“I encourage everybody to get out and vote. There is another opportunity. It’s in November, but we’re counting on August 4 as the one time that we vote on this millage,” Larson-Shidler said.
He stressed that the millage will help “provide opportunities for everybody from birth to seniors”.
Recreation director Craig Daniels also highlighted the importance of the millage and the programs it funds for the students and the community.
Recreation director
“The millage has supported and included maintaining a swimming pool, Pulaski Park, Playfair, and a host of programs, including youth soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball, as well as adult classes for basketball, aerobics, etc,” Daniels said.
“We also have programs for senior citizens, which includes aerobics, field trips, dance, and we also do movie [screenings] in the park at nights for families in the summertime, as well as going on trips for families every month.”
Early voting is already underway at City Hall and will continue until August 2. Absentee ballots are also available. On election day, on August 4, the polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
‘Vital’ services
Thomas Habitz, executive director of the Hamtramck Parks Conservancy, said the organization works with the city and the schools to help raise money for the recreation system.
He said everyone in Hamtramck is “rowing in the same direction” to ensure that Hamtramck has recreation programs that benefit residents.
“It takes the investment and support of the entire community to do that, and the recreation millage is just a really critical piece of that,” Habitz told the Yemeni American News.
He emphasized the need to renew the millage, noting the community has always seen the value in the recreation programs.
“This is an opportunity for all the voters and the residents to continue to create their stake in the community, have a voice in the recreation offerings that are there,” Habitz said.
“These are really vital things, like the basic maintenance of our parks, the splash pad, which are really popular, having sports leagues that are offered from the city so that people don’t have to go outside of Hamtramck and find a travel league for their kids to play sports.
“These are the things that we want to have here and grow here and keep vital and strong.”
