Billions in local bonds, tax hikes on Michiganders' ballots

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(The Center Square) – As Michigan voters prepare for Election Day, they will vote on more than 150 measures across 43 counties.

Though there are no statewide ballot measures or elections, voters will decide on billions of dollars in bonds or tax increases.

The Center Square spoke with Thomas Aiello, senior director of government affairs at the National Taxpayers Union, in an exclusive interview about the organization’s 2025 Ballot Guide.

“What jumps out to me the most is the sheer number of local measures that will be on voters’ ballots next week,” Aiello said. “Only Texas has more measures on the ballot than Michigan.”

He added that those ballot measures could have real financial consequences for many of Michigan’s 10 million citizens.

“We often think that the biggest threats to taxpayers occur in Washington or Lansing, but our data shows that sometimes the largest tax increases take place right in our backyards,” Aiello explained.

Of the 153 total measures, 49 of those measures hope to issue about $3.6 billion in bonds. Those bonds do not have any available tax impact estimates.

Additionally:

• 99 measures look to extend or increase property taxes by about $235 million

• Four measures look to extend or increase property taxes without any available tax impact estimates

• And one measure, in Kent County, looks to extend or increase lodging taxes by about $200,000 for “various expenses and programs”

While some of those measures do not have estimates on the impact of local taxpayers, Michigan still stands apart for the quantity of the measures’ fiscal information available to voters.

Aiello explained that this allows voters to then make better decisions about how to vote on Election Day.

“This isn’t the case for most other states,” he said. “Almost 75% of all local ballot measures this year have no revenue estimates – which unfairly keeps voters in the dark. Legislatures across the country should follow the lead of Michigan, Colorado, and even California, to fix these issues. Taxpayers will be better served when it happens.”