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Detroit — County commissioners in Oakland and Wayne counties have taken a key step to get a proposed millage before voters possibly later this year for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Historical Society after a Lansing political fight killed an earlier ballot proposal.
The Oakland County Board of Commissioners and the Wayne County Commission both voted last week to approve creating a joint public authority, called the Southeast Michigan Public Historical Museum Authority, that has the ability to put a possible millage before voters on the November 3 ballot without approval from the Michigan Legislature.
The Michigan Secretary of State would have to approve any millage language sought by the new historical museum authority.
The counties' actions revive a yearslong effort by the Wright museum and Detroit Historical Society to secure what they say is a needed source of funding. The state legislature approved the millage proposal for the museums two years ago, but then the lengthy partisan fight in Lansing erupted. It ended earlier this month when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed the bill for the millage vote.
The new Southeast Michigan Public Historical Museum Authority will seek voter approval for a millage "no more than 0.2 mills from property taxes for ten years," said Chris Moyer, a spokesman for the effort. One mill equals $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed property value. A home valued at $300,000 would pay around $30 a year.
The millage funds "would stabilize both institutions, provide free admission for every county resident, free transportation for students and seniors, expand exhibitions and artifact preservation, and new curriculum and teacher training focused on the region’s history," Moyer wrote in an email.
Both cultural organizations were counting on the millage as a major source of funding at a time when federal, state and local money are shrinking. The head of Detroit Historical Society told the Detroit City Council in March it may have to cut hours and reduce staff without the millage. The head of the Charles H. Wright told Detroit City Council it faces an "extremely challenging" financial climate due to federal and state funding cuts.
The Charles H. Wright is one of the nation's largest African American museums. The historical society, meanwhile, oversees the Detroit Historical Museum, the Great Lakes Dossin Museum at Belle Isle and manages around 300,000 artifacts at Historic Fort Wayne.
"Some things are too important to lose. Detroit's history is one of them," reads part of the millage proposal contained in the documents approved by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.
In a joint statement by the museums, the institutions said they "share a single commitment, serving this community through education and preserving our community's history and culture for generations to come."
But creating the authority didn't get unanimous support from either county commission. The Oakland County Commissioners voted 11-6 to create the authority that would support the two museums; two commissioners were absent.
Oakland County Commission Chair Dave Woodward said a joint authority "is a careful, proven framework, and the final decision on any future funding belongs exactly where it should: with the voters."
"Tens of thousands of Oakland County students learn our region's history at these two museums every year and keeping that opportunity within reach of every family is simply in the best interest of our county," Woodward wrote in an email.
But Oakland Commissioner Bob Hoffman cast one of the six votes against establishing the authority. Hoffman said he's against property taxes in principle, regardless of what they're used for.
“Listen, I support parks, I support the museums, but I’m sick of property taxes," said Hoffman, a Holly Republican. "They’re constantly burdening homeowners."
Hoffman said he wasn't "totally opposed" to the push for the museum authority coming before the county commissioners instead of the State Legislature because it's not a statewide issue. But he said he would have opposed it either way.
Asked how the museums should be supported, Hoffman suggested support from foundations, philanthropists or admission fees.
"They’ve got to market their product, and they need to create a demand for their product and promote that," said Hoffman. "There’s no simple solution. I’m not suggesting there’s anything simple here, but I’m fed up with property taxes."
The Wayne County Commission, meanwhile, voted 13-1 to approve creating the authority. One commissioner was absent.
Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell, meanwhile, said the cultural institutions tell "the story of Detroit's people, culture, and impact on the world," in an email. "Serving this community means making sure those doors stay open for every family, and I'm proud to work with our Oakland County partners to secure the future these museums deserve.”
The cultural institutions had worked for years to get state legislation approval for a property tax millage vote in the two counties. The millage votes were approved during the 2023-2024 legislative term in Lansing by the then Democrat-controlled state legislature. But they failed to send the bills to the governor for final approval.
When Republicans took control of the legislature, they refused to send the bills to the governor. A months-long legal battle ensued that ended up in the Michigan Supreme Court, who ruled in favor of presenting the bills to Whitmer.
But earlier this month, she vetoed the bills, citing "an insurmountable administrative burden" and the potential to "give rise to endless litigation."
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: New effort to create millage for Detroit museums gains steam
