SENATE BILL No. 1335

September 19, 2000, Introduced by Senator DE BEAUSSAERT and referred to the Committee

on Finance.

A bill to amend 1893 PA 206, entitled

"The general property tax act,"

by amending section 24f (MCL 211.24f), as amended by 1999 PA

248.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1 Sec. 24f. (1) In addition to any other requirement provided

2 by law, when submitting a proposal on the question of authorizing

3 a millage rate to be levied under this act, the ballot shall

4 state all of the following:

5 (a) The millage rate to be authorized.

6 (b) The estimated amount of revenue that will be collected

7 in the first year that the millage is authorized and levied.

8 (c) The duration of the millage in years.

9 (d) A clear statement of the purpose for the millage.

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1 (e) A clear statement indicating whether the proposed

2 millage is a renewal of a previously authorized millage or the

3 authorization of a new additional millage.

4 (2) In addition to any other requirement provided by law,

5 when submitting a proposal to authorize the issuance of bonds,

6 the ballot shall state all of the following:

7 (a) The principal amount to be borrowed.

8 (b) The maximum number of years the bonds may be outstand-

9 ing, exclusive of any refunding.

10 (c) A clear statement of the purpose for which the proceeds

11 of the bonds will be used.

12 (d) For bonds other than bonds that are intended to be paid

13 from a separate revenue source or from taxes levied in less than

14 the entire taxing unit, the estimated millage that will be levied

15 for the proposed bonds in the first year that the levy is autho-

16 rized and the estimated simple average annual millage that will

17 be required to retire the debt. Inaccuracies in the estimates

18 provided under this subdivision shall not affect the validity of

19 the bonds, the general obligation unlimited tax status requiring

20 the levy of taxes sufficient to pay the bonds, or the results of

21 an election.

22 (e) For bonds that are intended to be paid from a separate

23 revenue source or from taxes levied in less than the entire

24 taxing unit, the primary source of the revenue that is intended

25 to be used to retire the bonds.

26 (3) A taxing unit shall hold not more than 2 elections in a

27 calendar year concerning the authorization of a millage rate

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1 greater than the product of the immediately preceding year's

2 reduced maximum authorized rate or rates as defined in section

3 34d(16) multiplied by the current year's millage reduction frac-

4 tion, regardless of the number of questions presented at the

5 election.

6 (4) A taxing unit that levies millage under this act shall

7 not submit a single question to the electors of the taxing unit

8 requesting both the renewal of voter authorized millage and the

9 authorization of new additional millage if the additional millage

10 is greater than 0.5 mill. If authorization to levy millage has

11 expired and the taxing unit submits to the electors the authori-

12 zation of millage greater than the number of expired mills

13 reduced pursuant to the millage reduction in section 34d(11), and

14 if the additional millage is greater than 0.5 mill, the taxing

15 unit shall submit 1 question for authorization of the number of

16 expired mills reduced pursuant to the millage reduction in sec-

17 tion 34d(11) and 1 or more additional questions for the authori-

18 zation of millage in excess of that amount.

19 (5) AN ELECTOR OF A TAXING UNIT THAT SUBMITS A QUESTION TO

20 THE ELECTORS OF THAT TAXING UNIT UNDER THIS SECTION MAY BRING AN

21 ACTION IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE TAXING

22 UNIT IS LOCATED TO ENFORCE THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION. IF AN

23 ELECTOR PREVAILS IN A SUIT BROUGHT UNDER THIS SUBSECTION, THE

24 CIRCUIT COURT SHALL AWARD THAT ELECTOR THE REASONABLE COSTS

25 INCURRED IN MAINTAINING THAT ACTION.

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