Brighton schools seek $156M bond for 170 projects

Brighton residents will decide May 5 whether to approve a $156 million bond for the Brighton Area Schools, which serves about 5,800 students.

If voters approve the request, property taxes would increase 1.08 mills, leading to a total tax of 4 mills.

Money from the bond proceeds would fund projects across 10 schools and centers for purposes such as security lockout systems, new roofs and elevators, parking lot repairs and new storage space.

The money would address various needs, including critical infrastructure updates and better learning spaces, Brighton Schools Superintendent Matt Outlaw told Michigan Capitol Confidential in an email.

”Brighton Area Schools is requesting this bond to address needs in the area of safety/security, expanding and enhancing learning spaces, and critical infrastructure,” Outlaw wrote. “This bond proposal includes over 170 projects to address these need areas for our students. Additionally, Brighton's school debt millage has dropped by 59% to 2.92 mills since 2023 as a result of better-than-expected interest rates, bond refunding, and strong property values. The request is to restore 1.08 mills for a total of 4 mills for taxpayers (2.92 existing millage rate + 1.08 requested = 4 mills). At 4 mills, this is the lowest rate in our county (Howell is second at 5.5 mills), the lowest in Brighton since at least 1987 when it was 4.36 mills, and among the lowest in the State."

A successful bond campaign for the district would cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $100,000 another $108 annually in taxes, according to officials. The owner of a home with a taxable value of $150,000 would pay an extra $162 yearly. Homeowners with a taxable value of $200,000 would pay an additional $216 annually, while a homeowner with a taxable value of $250,000 would pay $270 annually.

Former Brighton school board member Bill Trombley opposes the millage. He notes that the district won’t go through the State of Michigan bond fund, which would require an itemized spending list of each project.

The tax request should be placed on the November ballot when more voters turn out at the polls, Trombley told CapCon in a phone interview.

“There are enough taxes for the citizens here in Brighton,” Trombley said, expressing skepticism of the need for some projects, such as a temperature-controlled orchestra equipment storage room.

“Where is their fiduciary responsibility in regard to spending? I’m talking about the school board as a whole,” Trombley said. “To me, it’s a sham.”

In 2019, voters approved a $59 million bond request by a vote of 3,751 to 3,401. In 2012, voters approved an $88 million bond by a vote of 4,969 to 4,476, according to Michigan Department of the Treasury.

Polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. through 8 p.m.