LIVONIA, Mich. – Nearly 67% of Livonia voters said no to the city’s municipal facilities $150 million proposal in Tuesday’s election, signaling frustration over rising taxes.
“We’ve had enough, we’ve been taxed a lot,” said resident Jim Biga.
Steve King, a city council candidate, opposed the bond, which would have cost residents about $12 a month over 25 years.
“If your roof leaks, you don’t knock down your house, you repair the roof,” King said, emphasizing a more measured approach.
Livonia City Councilman Robert Donovic said the bond would have funded a new police department and library, updates to five fire stations, infrastructure improvements, and a city park gathering area.
“We need to roll up our sleeves and figure out what we’re going to do because the problem didn’t just go away yesterday,” said Donovic.
The bond’s failure leaves a $104 million gap for necessary repairs.
“Do we fix leaking roofs, fix elevators that aren’t working, do we fix pieces of wall that are falling off buildings?” Donovic asked, highlighting the challenges ahead.
Mayor Maureen Miller Bronsan released the following statement regarding Tuesday’s (Aug. 5) vote.
“We remain committed to working with current and future city leaders to advance Livonia Vision 21 — a community-led, action-oriented plan to guide our city for the next 100 years. That vision doesn’t change with one election. We are moving forward, with determination and purpose, to build a stronger Livonia for future generations.Despite years of discussion and community input, the Livonia Built Bond Proposal did not earn voter approval.
While this outcome is not what we had hoped for, we respect the voice of our voters and thank everyone who took the time to participate in this important decision.Our commitment to maintaining safe, functional, and welcoming public spaces remains unchanged.
We will continue to work hard to support the critical work of our public safety teams and library staff, even as we navigate the significant funding challenges ahead.The bond’s rejection leaves a gap of more than $104 million in our ability to make desperately needed repairs to our aging municipal buildings — repairs necessary simply to bring our facilities up to a good, safe, and modern standard.
This includes basic needs like fixing leaking roofs, ensuring HVAC systems function properly, improving accessibility, and maintaining safety.
There is no funding in our budget for these improvements. Without this funding, the cost of addressing these issues will only continue to grow each year.
This delay in investment will make it harder—and more expensive—to tackle critical needs, such as safety and accessibility, in the long run. That said, current projects with funding will continue to move forward.
The new Livonia Senior Wellness Center is on track to open this October, and updates to the Recreation Center are expected to be completed by January."
Mayor Maureen Miller Bronsan