Many Wayne County homeowners have had their local communities divert part of the taxes collected for the Zoo and Detroit Institute of Arts to their own Downtown Development Authority. It is unclear under state law whether that is proper. So some of the cities and townships sued to get clarification.
Well, yesterday, a judge ruled that, yes, it is proper to keep that money the way the law was drawn up.
At the same time, there have been people in the state legislature who would like those taxes designated for the Zoo and DIA to all go to the zoo and DIA. There has been a bill that was introduced last fall, but it had not yet passed. Yesterday, after the judge's ruling, it did. It is now awaiting the Governor's signature.
Opinion: I will admit that I have a bias on this. I am Treasurer of the Wayne County Arts Authority, who takes the millage money collected and sends it to the DIA. I am happy that, assuming the governor signs the bill, that the money will all go to the intended purpose. I don't think anyone who voted for those millages thought any of the money would go to their local DDA, instead.
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