Ann Arbor parks millage renewal wins big with 68.8% voter approval

The parks millage is a six-year property tax levy of 1.1 mills last approved by Ann Arbor voters with 60 percent of the vote in 2006. Voter approval was required to keep the $5 million in annual revenue from the tax flowing to the city's parks department through 2018.

The city estimates the tax costs the average homeowner with a taxable value of $108,600 about $119 a year or slightly less than $10 per month.

The city's parks and recreation staff several months ago launched a web page dedicated to providing information about the parks millage renewal at www.a2gov.org/parksmillage.

More recently, Ann Arbor resident Ingrid Ault formed a group called Friends of the Parks, which has been distributing yard signs and promoting the millage renewal on a new blog and elsewhere. The millage accounts for 45 percent of the city's parks budget.

Colin Smith, the city's parks and recreation manager, said Ann Arbor has had a parks millage since the 1980s.

According to data provided by the city, between 60 percent and 80 percent of the annual millage funds support city park maintenance activities, including forestry and horticulture, natural area preservation, park operations, park equipment repairs and park security.

Between 20 percent and 40 percent of the annual millage funds support capital improvements in the following areas: active parks, forestry and horticulture, historic preservation, neighborhood parks and urban plazas, pathways, trails, boardwalks, greenways and the Huron River watershed, recreation facilities, and park equipment acquisitions.