Roads and Non-Motorized Millage

Millage revenues will be used to improve roads across the county through a variety of treatments including reconstruction, paved and unpaved road resurfacing, seal coat (chip seal). Projects have been selected based on the expected needs of the road system based upon asset management best practices.

Check out the links and interactive map above. 

Road work funded by this millage will take place each construction season between 2025 – 2028. 

The millage will be levied on Washtenaw County resident’s winter tax bill each year and those funds are put into road improvements the following spring/summer. 

All revenue generated by the millage stays in Washtenaw County. The millage is estimated to generate approximately $10.99 million per year for Washtenaw County roads and non-motorized paths.

• WCRC will receive approximately $4.9 million per year to fund road work in the county’s twenty townships.

• Cities will receive approximately $3.8 million per year, with specific allocations based on the amount raised within a municipality’s borders.

• The Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission will receive approximately $2.2 million per year to support the expansion of the county’s non-motorized path network.

A road millage and an operating millage are both forms of property taxes, but they serve different purposes:

Roads and Non-Motorized Millage:
The Roads and Non -Motorized Millage is a specific tax levy intended to fund road construction and non-motorized trails within townships and cities in Washtenaw County. Revenues generated from this millage are typically earmarked exclusively for transportation infrastructure projects, such as paving roads, repairing bridges, and non-motorized trail projects. These funds are dedicated solely to improving and maintaining the transportation infrastructure within the township the money is collected.

Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Operating Millage:
The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission (WCPARC) Operating Millage is a general tax levy that provides funding for the day-to-day operational expenses for all County park facilities and programs. The revenue generated from this operating millage can be used to cover a wide range of ongoing expenses, including utilities, facility maintenance, administrative costs, program funding and salaries for employees. Unlike road millages, which are specifically designated for transportation-related projects, operating millages provide essential funding for various functions and services provided by WCPARC.

In summary, while both millages involve property tax levies, the key distinction lies in their purpose and usage of the generated revenue. The Roads and Non- Motorized Millage is dedicated solely to transportation & non- motorized pathway infrastructure projects, while the WCPARC Operating Millage supports the agency’s general operational expenses.

The 2023 Michigan Transportation Infrastructure Needs and Funding solutions report cited that Michigan road funding has a funding gap between $2.7 and $3.9 billion per year. The Federal Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act passed in 2021 did not substantially increase road funding available to local municipalities or road agencies. The State of Michigan Rebuilding Michigan $3.5 billion Bond program is focused on rebuilding state highways and bridges. A local solution is necessary to improve roads in Washtenaw County. The Roads and Non-motorized Millage will help to improve more than 165 miles of WCRC roads over a four-year period.

This 0.5 mill millage would be assessed on your winter property tax bill in 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027. The amount owed will depend on the taxable value of your home.

For example, if the taxable value of your home is $100,000, a 0.5 mill will cost approximately $50 per year.

(Property tax levied on property = (0.5 x taxable property value) ÷ 1,000)

The WCRC project plan for Roads and Non-motorized Millage is focused on road investments to the primary road network which are the major routes with significant traffic volumes that connect communities and provide access to the state highway system. Examples of primary roads include:

• Ann Arbor-Saline Rd
• Austin Rd
• Carpenter Rd
• Dexter-Chelsea Rd
• Jackson Rd
• N Territorial Rd
• Pontiac Tr
• Plymouth Rd,
• Saline-Milan Rd

Township millages generally focus investment on the local road system that people live on that connect to the primary network.

The Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission receives 20% of the revenue generated by the millage (approximately $2.2 million per year). This money is divided annually between investments in the Border-to-Border (B2B) trail system ($1.4M) and funding for the Connecting Communities Grant Program ($600k).

The B2B is a non-motorized pathway that connects cities, parks, and many destinations throughout Washtenaw County. Within the county, 45 miles are nearly complete, and 9 more miles are planned. Millage funds for the B2B go directly to construction and so far, have been used to leverage more than $20 million in Federal/State grant funding and private donations.

The Connecting Communities Grant Program provides supplemental funding to assist municipalities with the development of locally important non-motorized projects. Millage funds are used to help with a variety of project expenses, with an emphasis on construction and engineering costs.

Click here for the non-motorized projects list.

On April 3, 2024, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners approved the following ballot language that will appear on the August 6, 2024, ballot:

Washtenaw County Proposal A: THIS PROPOSAL WILL AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY OF WASHTENAW TO LEVY 0.5000 MILL FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING FUNDING TO MAINTAIN, CONSTRUCT, RESURFACE, RECONSTRUCT OR PRESERVE ROADS, BIKE LANES, STREETS AND PATHS. OF THE 0.5000 MILL, 0.4950 REPRESENTS A RENEWAL OF THE 0.5000 AUTHORIZATION APPROVED BY THE ELECTORS IN 2020, WHICH WILL EXPIRE WITH THE 2023 TAX LEVY, AND 0.005 REPRESENTS A RESTORATION OF THAT PORTION OF THE SAME AUTHORIZATION WHICH HAS BEEN REDUCED BY APPLICATION OF THE HEADLEE AMENDMENT.

“Shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be imposed on taxable property in the County of Washtenaw be increased by 0.500 mill ($0.50 per thousand dollars of taxable value) of the taxable value for a period of four (4) years, 2024 to 2027, inclusive, as a renewal of that portion of a 0.5000 mill authorization previously approved by electors in 2020 as reduced by operation of the Headlee amendment, which was 0.005 mill in 2023, plus new additional millage representing a restoration of the amount equal to the amount reduced by operation of the Headlee amendment, which was 0.005 mill in 2023, to provide funding to the Washtenaw County Road Commission, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, and the various cities, villages, and townships of Washtenaw County to maintain, construct, resurface, reconstruct or preserve roads, bike lanes, streets and paths in Washtenaw County? If approved and levied in full, this millage will raise an estimated $10,986,947 when first levied in 2024.”

The previous Roads and Non-Motorized Millage rate was approved by voters in 2020 but the actual rate levied has fluctuated each year due to the State of Michigan’s Proposal A (Headlee Amendment) which limits property tax increases to the inflation rate. Although voters approved a 0.5 millage in 2020, the actual amount collected has fallen to 0.4891 mill over the years because of restrictions based on Proposal A.

If voters approve the millage on August 6, 2024, the rate will be RESTORED again to 0.5 mill in 2024 but will gradually decrease again over the years as the Proposal A restrictions are applied.