Photo courtesy of DHS

At the November 3 election, Wayne and Oakland County voters will be asked to approve or reject a new 0.2 mill tax (a mill is equal to $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value) on all non-exempt taxable property within the two counties to support Southeast Michigan public historical museums for a period of 10 years. For the millage vote to succeed, the majority of the electors voting on this question across the authority (both counties in total) must vote for approval.

If the Proposal passes: The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Detroit Historical Society would have a sustainable revenue source for the next 10 years, bringing them financial stability. Residents in Oakland and Wayne would see a slight increase in their property taxes as a result of the new millage. A parcel of property with a taxable value of $100,000 would pay an additional $20.0 per year in property taxes.

Residents of these counties would gain free admission at the Wright Museum, Detroit Historical Museum, and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. Other benefits include free transportation for students and seniors, expanded exhibitions, new curriculum guides, training teachers in regional history, and preserving publicly owned collections for both museums. Fifteen percent of revenue raised in each county via the millage will support other public history museums in Wayne and Oakland.

If the Proposal is rejected: Without a sustainable funding source to close the financial gaps, these Detroit museums will continue to operate on admission fees, grants, and donations and may have to scale back operations to avoid deficits which could involve laying off staff, reducing hours of operations, or scaling back exhibits.

Despite a decades-long state constitutional ban on public funding for private K-12 schools, Michigan could join 35 other states that provide families with a school choice option starting in 2027. That is if Governor Gretchen Whitmer opts in to the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program before year’s end. Unlike similar state-run school choice tax credit programs, a Michigan program would be governed by federal law and funded by private donations that donors recoup through a federal tax credit.

That is why participation is generally viewed as consistent with the constitutional ban, and also why Michigan policymakers would have little say in how the program works.

In a Nutshell

-- Michigan’s constitution bars state aid to private schools, but the federal credit relies on private donations and federal tax dollars, so participation is generally viewed as permissible. No court or attorney general has ruled on the question.

-- About 93 percent of Michigan school-age children would be income-eligible, but early scholarship dollars will likely flow mostly to private school families and to wealthier metro areas.

-- If Governor Whitmer opts in by January 1, 2027, Michigan’s role would be largely administrative. Congress and the IRS set the rules, and the state cannot add its own requirements.

#FactsMatter host Guy Gordon reconnects with Bob Schneider, Senior Research Associate for State Affairs at the Citizens Research Council, for a timely update on Michigan’s budget outlook. Their July conversation (“The Budget That was Balanced – But Not Transparent”) warned of a potential “fiscal cliff” awaiting the next governor and legislature. With new revenue data now in hand, Schneider revisits the numbers—and the picture is more complicated than anyone expected.

Schneider explains that Michigan was already facing a $523 million general fund shortfall heading into FY 2028, driven by rising Medicaid costs, state employee payroll increases, and a major shift in federal SNAP funding that requires the state to cover an additional $320 million in benefit costs.

But the current budget funded two long-running programs, direct care worker wage supports and certified community behavioral health clinics, as one-time appropriations, despite their years of operation.

If lawmakers want to continue them, they’ll need to restore $165 million in ongoing general fund support, pushing the projected shortfall toward a $700 million structural deficit.

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