Livonia to pitch $150M bond proposal on Aug. 5

Voters in the city of Livonia will decide Aug. 5 whether to raise taxes for 25 years.

The City Council unanimously approved placing the bond proposal on the ballot.

The city says it needs $150 million to renovate outdated municipal buildings and fight population decline.

The bond would fund a new police station, a new library, expanded and renovated fire stations, a new central gathering space and plaza, and a new walking and biking loop to Five Mile and Farmington Roads.

The $150 million bond proposal would be paid over 25 years, costing the average homeowner approximately $12 per month.

The city needs the tax revenue, according to Livonia Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan.

“Last night the City Council voted unanimously to take the bold, innovative step to advance our community's dream,” Brosnan said in an April 29 social media post. “The Livonia Built Bond proposal will create safer working environments for our police officers and firefighters while building a new state-of-the-art library for our children and a central gathering space and connective bikeways and walkways. This is an investment in our future -- not just in buildings, but belonging. ... Check out the future of our city at https://livoniabuilt.org/. Then be sure to vote YES! for the bond proposal on August 5.”

The city anticipates a mixed-use development in the future, but it says this will not require taxpayer funding.

Polishing municipal infrastructure doesn’t attract more people, James Hohman, the director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, told Michigan Capitol Confidential in an email. “We did a review of what matters to population growth in 2023 and efforts like this did not turn out well. In short, most large-scale place-oriented policies have had little discernible impact.”

Adam Stathakis, a local businessman running for Livonia City Council, opposes the bond proposal.

“Based on Tuesday’s election results, I think the bond will fail miserably,” Stathakis wrote to CapCon. “Our municipal buildings are failing in Livonia, but now’s not the time to ask for a tax increase. People are already financially hurting.” Stathakis was referencing May 6 school bond proposals across the state, most of which failed to win voter support.

Livonia has 60 parks, 36 of which are developed and 24 are undeveloped, according to the city website.

Hines Park, a 25-mile-long walking path, runs from Northville through Plymouth and Livonia to Dearborn.

Livonia’s park system also offers:

• One skateboard park
• Two ice arenas
• Three fitness clusters
• Three golf courses
• Three outdoor swimming pools
• Seven inline skating courts
• 10 sand volleyball courts
• 11 designated nature preserve areas, some with trails
• 11 picnic shelters
• 22 neighborhood parks with play structures
• 25 soccer fields
• 32 tennis courts
• 43 ball diamonds
• An archery range
• A community recreation center.