Ypsilanti transportation millage won't be decided in August

But City Manager Edward Koryzno said in a press release today that the Michigan Attorney General's Office informed the city that charter amendments can only be decided in general elections.

Ypsilanti voters will be asked to approve a transportation millage in November.

The question will still appear on the primary ballot, but the results won't count. The city is aiming to again place the question on the Nov. 2 ballot.

"Ypsilanti’s city charter states that a charter amendment may be considered at any election, but the state law overrides this provision," Koryzno said in the release. "Additionally, the attorney general also said the ballot proposal exceeded, by two words, the 100-word limit set by state law."

The measure would allow a .9789 mill Headlee override solely for transportation purposes to fund Ann Arbor Transportation Authority bus service in the city.

The proposal would restore the city’s ability to capture 20 mills instead of the 19.0211 maximum allowed per the Headlee Amendment, which would then provide an additional $281,000 for public transportation in 2011. Residents whose homes have a taxable value of $100,000 would pay $97.89 more annually.

Council members adopted the resolution after a countywide public transportation millage failed to materialize in recent months.

According to Keep Ypsi Rollin' - a group formed to advocate for the millage - more than 600,000 riders board AATA buses every year in the city of Ypsilanti, using The Ride to get to work or school, to get to the doctor, or to buy groceries.

"Ypsilanti understands the importance of public transit," Richard Murphy of Keep Ypsi Rollin', said in a release. "We are disappointed that the August vote will not count, but we see this as an opportunity to let even more people know that they have the chance to support transit service."