Sumpter Township — A rural Wayne County community will try again for a millage replacement in November after officials said voters effectively "defunded our police department" by shooting down the proposal in last week's primary.
During a special meeting held Monday, the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously to put a four-year, five-mill levy on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The levy would collect about $2.4 million per year to pay for police service in the township of about 11,000 residents, located in the extreme southwest corner of Wayne County. It would replace an existing 3-mill levy.
A virtually identical ballot measure failed 57% to 43% in last week's primary election, according to unofficial results. It's just one of several Metro Detroit police and fire millages that failed.
At least five other Metro Detroit townships — Brandon, Orion, Independence, Highland and Waterford — turned down police and fire millage renewals or increases. Several said they will go back to voters again in November and ask them for support or face cuts. Waterford and Orion townships decided to put millages on the November ballot.
Sumpter township officials hope that greater voter turnout in the November election will turn the tide. The township's turnout in the primary was about 25%, officials said. That means only about 14% of township voters cast ballots against the levy.
"Only about 14% of the entire voting population is dictating what's happening here," Trustee Matthew Oddy said Monday.
Without the levy, the township's Police Department could dry up entirely, officials said.
"This vote that happened in the primary essentially defunded our police department 100%," Oddy said.
Resident Kristen McCray told the trustees she's not against the Police Department in general, though she's staunchly against the Flock camera agreement the township entered into earlier this year. In April, the board unanimously agreed to a $30,000 per year deal for installation of 10 automatic license plate readers, on a free 60-day trial basis, according to online meeting minutes.
Between that and the ballooning cost of daily living, McCray said she couldn't support a millage increase.
"With costs rising across the board for everyone as it relates to their taxes, utilities, the Wayne County transit millage, the drains that were recently upgraded here in the township, people don't want to pay a higher millage" for police, said Kristen McCray, a Sumpter Township resident.
Sumpter Township had been one of 17 communities in Wayne County that did not pay for, or receive, SMART busing services through the county. Officials said some residents have paid thousands of dollars in Wayne County's drainage assessment program.
Officials believe that by better informing residents that the Police Department's future is at stake, and emphasizing that all of the money gleaned from the millage would stay in Sumpter Township, the November initiative will succeed where the August effort failed.
"There's no way to budget-cut out of this loss of revenue. I don't see how we could lose the revenue … and continue anywhere near the level of service that we provide this township," said Sumpter Township Police Chief Eric Luke. "It would be devastating to theis department."
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wayne County community goes back to ballot after voters 'defunded' police