Orion Township voters rejected both a police and a fire millage on Tuesday, Aug. 4, leaving the community without local funding for either service starting Jan. 1, 2027.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard warned that without a funded contract, his office would respond only to emergency calls from other parts of the county, effectively ending routine police coverage in the township.
The Sheriff's Office contracts with 15 Oakland County communities for law enforcement, including Rochester Hills and Oakland Township, according to the Detroit News. Bouchard's warning about prioritizing funded communities carries weight across the region.
The police millage, a 3.75-mill proposal, failed decisively with 6,949 no votes to 4,914 yes, according to the Lake Orion Review. The fire and EMS millage of 3.85 mills fell by a razor-thin margin: 6,045 no to 5,824 yes, a gap of just 221 votes.
"We will respond from other parts of the county for emergency only calls, but that means pretty much everything else doesn't get a response," Bouchard told WXYZ.
What it means for the Sheriff's Office
Orion Township's contract with the Sheriff's Office is the longest in the county at more than 70 years, according to the Detroit News. The contract was tied to a 36% cost increase that officials tried to cover with only a 9% millage bump.
Bouchard said any cuts would increase response times. The Sheriff's Office model works as a "force-multiplier" for contracting townships, he told WXYZ, saving them money compared to running independent departments.
Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett agreed there's no cheaper alternative. "We can't start a police force of our own cheaper than what we're getting from the county right now," he told WXYZ.
Rochester Hills approved its fire millage the same night
Rochester Hills voters approved a fire department millage increase by 71.45% to 28.55% on the same Aug. 4 ballot, as we reported Wednesday. That charter amendment raises the city's authorized fire millage from 3 mills to 3.5 mills, generating an estimated $5 million in new revenue in its first year.
Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett had framed the ask as a necessity in late July, telling the Oakland Press: "We don't ask residents for too much, and when we do ask we want them to believe that it is because it's an absolute need."
The city had not raised its fire millage in a decade while calls for service climbed nearly 40%.
What happens next in Orion Township
Chris Barnett scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday at 4 p.m. to discuss placing both millages on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. He told the Detroit News he sees "no scenario" where the questions won't appear in November.
Oakland County Commissioner Mike Gingell, who represents Orion Township, interpreted the vote differently. He told the Detroit News residents are "sick of getting taxed and having their taxes go up."
The police millage would have generated $9.8 million in its first year; the fire millage, $10.9 million, according to the Lake Orion Review. Without them, both the Sheriff's Office contract and the fire department's operating budget go dark on Jan. 1.
Orion Township's fire department grew from five full-time employees to 42 over the past decade, according to the Oakland Press. Fire Chief Ryan Allen told WXYZ the failed millage would mean "a decrease in services in some way, shape or form."
