Voters in the city authorized a property tax increase on commercial and rental properties to pay off legacy school debt — approving Proposal S by a wide margin. Taxes on homeowners’ primary residences are not affected by this millage adjustment.
This millage was already in place in 2016, when proceeds were redirected away from school operations and toward debt as part of a $617 million deal where state money was used to wipe out the Detroit school system’s debt , which ballooned under state financial control .
Voters reauthorized the millage in 2020 for another 11 years. But since then, rising property values in Detroit have triggered a state law that limits the revenue school systems can bring in from their millages. Without a voter override , Detroit public school officials estimate the district would have lost about $10 million this year and as much as $225 million over the next 10 years…