Orion Township and Waterford Township are holding emergency board meetings Friday, Aug. 7, to decide whether to place new police and fire millage proposals on the Nov. 3 ballot, with the filing deadline at the Oakland County Clerk's office set for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The meetings come three days after voters in five Oakland County townships rejected public safety millages in the Aug. 4 primary. The stakes extend beyond those communities: the Oakland County Sheriff's Office holds patrol contracts with 15 communities countywide, including Rochester Hills and Oakland Township. Sheriff Michael Bouchard warned that stretched resources in unfunded townships will slow response times everywhere.

"If there's any cuts in what's left, it's going to increase response times," Bouchard told WXYZ-TV on Aug. 5.

As we reported Aug. 6, Bouchard said his office would respond only to emergency calls in communities that lose their funded contracts, meaning non-emergency calls would go unanswered.

What failed

Orion Township's police millage lost by a wide margin: 6,949 no (58.6%) to 4,914 yes (41.4%), according to The Oakland Press. The fire millage was closer, failing by just 221 votes out of nearly 11,900 cast.

Waterford's police millage failed 10,676 to 8,777. Its fire millage also failed narrowly, 9,663 to 9,571. Brandon Township (2,280 no to 2,134 yes), Independence Township (6,080 no to 5,272 yes) and Highland Township's fire millage (3,097 no to 2,962 yes) also went down.

Brandon, Independence and Orion all contract with the Sheriff's Office for police services. That's the same office Rochester Hills and Oakland Township rely on for patrol coverage.

The deadline

Ballot language must reach the Oakland County Clerk's office by 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11. Miss it, and there is no November vote.

Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett told the Detroit News on Aug. 5 that he sees no scenario in which the township won't have a millage question on the November ballot, though the board will decide whether to resubmit the same proposal or adjust it. The township board's 4 p.m. meeting Friday at Township Hall will determine what that question looks like.

Barnett told The Oakland Press on Aug. 6 that the township absorbed a 36% increase in its Sheriff's Office contract but asked voters for only a 9% millage increase, making the lopsided defeat hard to explain.

What it means for Rochester Hills

If no new millage passes in November, Orion Township faces zero dedicated police and fire funding starting Jan. 1, 2027. Bouchard has said his office would then pull deputies from other contracted communities to cover emergency calls in unfunded areas.

Rochester Hills and Oakland Township, which both contract with the Sheriff's Office, would feel that strain. Fewer available deputies countywide means longer waits when residents call for help.

Orion's substation alone handled roughly 22,000 calls for service in 2025, conducted 635 criminal investigations and responded to more than 1,000 traffic crashes, according to Oakland County 115.

What's next

Waterford's 6 p.m. Friday meeting will consider two proposals for the November ballot, one for police and one for fire. Brandon Township's regular board meeting is Monday, Aug. 10, one day before the deadline. Highland Township also meets Monday, Aug. 10, though its agenda had not been posted as of Aug. 6.

The Nov. 3 general election will draw higher turnout than the Aug. 4 primary, which saw just 35.16% of Oakland County's registered voters participate. In 2020, more than 57% of Orion Township voters supported the police millage that has since expired.