WYOMING, Mich. — If you live or work in the City of Wyoming, you could have to start paying an income tax. In May, voters will decide whether income taxes will be collected to add more police and firefighters, as well as improve city parks.
A presentation Tuesday night comes after a violent start to this week, and city officials say the police and fire departments are understaffed. City Manager Curtis Holt and Director of Public Safety Chief Kim Koster say the proposals on the ballot would positively impact the community.
The city wants to hire nearly 30 more firefighters and 13 more officers. Voters are being asked to consider an income tax of no more than one percent for residents and a half percent for non-residents. A second proposal would lower and put a cap on the city's property taxes.
"The second proposal will lower the millage by a little over 60 percent, going from 11.9 mills to five over the next two years," Holt says.
The first proposal needs to pass by a simple majority, while the second proposal would only go into effect if the income tax passes. Together, they would generate $6 million in revenue a year.
"Because calls for service have risen, we're more of a reactive department than we want to be," Chief Koster says.
Over the past five years, the city's seen a 65 percent increase in violent crimes. There was also a record number of homicides and shots fired calls in 2020. Chief Koster knows that the two deadly shootings this week makes an impact on the community.
"It can shake them a little bit," she says. "But our police department is there working very hard to keep them safe. In these incidents we made arrests quickly."
Chief Koster hopes that with more officers, the department can increase its visibility in the community by increasing traffic enforcement and engaging with community members and local business owners.
"Of course, there'll always be crime, but having a presence will absolutely help in those types of situations," she says.
City officials say more staffing in the fire department is also critical to have firefighters on staff 24/7, reduce wait times and lessen the need for mutual aid.
"In fact, some of those communities have indicated that we have to figure out a different solution because they can no longer support us and field those fire calls for us," Holt says.
The third goal is to bring in $600,000 a year for city parks, which need updates and improvements after being built more than 20 years ago.
"For our playgrounds and shelters and courts, we can always keep them up to date, fresh and in good condition," Holt says.
There are two more community discussions on the calendar before the vote on May 3. The next meeting is March 24 at City Hall.
The city has a full explanation of the proposal here, as well as an income tax calculator for voters to check out before the vote.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.