Rochester Hills and Oakland Township homeowners will see a Detroit Zoo millage renewal on their Nov. 3 ballots. The Oakland County Zoological Authority voted 5-0 to place the proposal on the ballot at an April 23 meeting, and finalized related steps at its Sept. 16 meeting.

At the Sept. 16 meeting, held at the Detroit Zoo's Ford Education Center in Royal Oak, the five-member authority voted 5-0 to approve the annual resolution authorizing collection of the current millage and an interlocal agreement with Oakland County covering election costs, according to meeting minutes. Chair Brandon Kolo presented the final ballot language to the board.

The proposal asks voters to renew and restore a 0.10-mill levy on all taxable property in Oakland County for 10 years, from 2028 through 2037. Oakland, Macomb and Wayne county voters first approved the zoo millage in 2008. Oakland County renewed it in 2016 with 74% support, MLive reported.

The current authorization runs through 2027; Headlee rollback reduced the rate to 0.0927 mills for the 2026 tax year. The Headlee Amendment, a Michigan constitutional provision that limits tax increases, rolled the original 0.10-mill rate down over time. Approval in November would restore the full rate.

What it costs

The Oakland County proposal list estimates the renewed millage would collect $8,831,012 in its first year, based on a countywide taxable value of $88.3 billion.

For a homeowner with $100,000 in taxable value, the cost comes to about $10 a year, MLive reported. A home with $250,000 in taxable value would owe roughly $25 annually.

The levy is countywide.

Proceeds go to the Detroit Zoological Society, which operates the 125-acre Detroit Zoo and the Belle Isle Nature Center. The zoo houses more than 2,000 animals across 200 species and draws more than 1.3 million visitors a year, according to MLive.

Authority approves audit, election costs

Robert Schumaker, chief financial officer of the Detroit Zoological Society, presented the 2025 finance report at the Sept. 16 meeting. Independent auditors found no material issues, according to the minutes.

The authority also voted 5-0 to sign an interlocal agreement with Oakland County covering election costs tied to the millage proposal. Members Alex Cooper, Jennifer M. Grieco, Kolo, Millie Hall and Elizabeth Howe all voted in favor of both measures.

The zoo millage is one of two countywide authority proposals on the Nov. 3 ballot. The other is a Southeast Michigan Public Historical Museum Authority millage, according to the Oakland County Times.

Oakland County's general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.