Election 2026 · Flint
Flint voters decide whether to renew the city’s police and fire tax, plus transit and parks levies, at slightly lower rates
FLINT, Mich. — Flint property owners will decide Nov. 3 whether to keep paying three city taxes that fund police and fire protection, public transit and parks, each at a rate slightly lower than the one they pay today.
None of the three is a tax increase. Each is a renewal, and each rate has been trimmed by the Headlee Amendment, the taxpayer protection in Michigan’s constitution that rolls back millage rates when property values grow faster than inflation. The City Council voted 6-0 on July 27 to send all three to the ballot.
“The voters approved a certain rate, and because of the Headlee, we can’t collect the full amount that was authorized by the voters,” Councilwoman Judy Priestley told Flint Beat. She said it is the first time the rollback has applied to these levies, because Flint property values have risen faster than inflation since they were last renewed.
Police and fire. The largest question would renew the police and fire protection millage at 5.9568 mills, down from 6 mills, from Jan. 1, 2027, through Dec. 31, 2031. The sample ballot estimates it would raise about $6,531,134 in its first year, and the charter language limits the money to “the sole purpose of funding police and fire protection.”
The vote comes as public safety stays near the top of the city’s agenda. Earlier this month the city’s police chief said he wants license plate cameras across the whole city, as The Mitten Daily reported.
Transit. The second question would renew the Flint Mass Transportation Authority levy at 0.5956 mill, down from 0.6 mill, from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2033. It is estimated to raise about $653,025 in its first year. “One hundred percent of the money that we collect from this will be sent to the MTA to provide transportation services within the City of Flint,” Chief Financial Officer Philip Moore told Flint Beat. The current transit levy expires June 30, 2027.
Parks. The third would renew the citywide parks, forestry and recreation millage at 0.4963 mill, down from 0.5 mill, from Jan. 1, 2027, through Dec. 31, 2036, raising an estimated $544,151 in its first year. Flintside’s voter guide says the money also supports the Crim Fitness Foundation’s programs in the city.
What it costs taxpayers. Together the three city renewals come to 7.0487 mills. On a Flint property with a taxable value of $50,000, that is about $352 a year: $297.84 for police and fire, $29.78 for transit and $24.82 for parks. Taxable value is roughly half of a property’s market value, Flint Beat notes. A no vote on any question rejects that renewal.
More on Flint ballots. City voters also choose a mayor, between incumbent Sheldon A. Neeley, who submitted the three proposals, and Tonya Burns. Countywide, Genesee voters decide two renewals: 0.8 mill for the Genesee Health Plan, which covers uninsured low-income residents, for 2027 through 2031, at about $11.28 million in its first year, and 0.1922 mill for the Genesee County Animal Care Shelter for 2028 through 2034, at about $2.71 million. A Mott Community College renewal at 0.6152 mill for 2028 through 2037 is estimated at $8.9 million a year. Statewide, every Michigan ballot carries Proposal 1 on a constitutional convention and Proposal 2 on utility and contractor donations.
Monday, Oct. 19, was the last day to register to vote online or by mail. After that, residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency, through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Statewide early in-person voting runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. Absentee ballot applications are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 30 by mail or online, or by 4 p.m. Nov. 2 in person at the clerk’s office. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. County canvassers must finish by Nov. 17, and the Board of State Canvassers certifies statewide results by Nov. 23. Voters can check their registration and see their sample ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote.
Updated Oct. 20, 2026: The Oct. 19 deadline to register to vote online or by mail has passed, so the voting details now say so. Residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Sources:
The Gist, “City of Flint: police and fire protection millage renewal (charter amendment)” (ballot language copied from the Michigan Department of State’s Nov. 3, 2026 Genesee County sample ballots: rate, years, first-year estimate), https://thegist.vote/question/2026-general-mi/genesee-flint-city-police-and-fire-protection-millage-renewal
The Gist, “City of Flint: public transportation millage renewal (charter amendment)” (sample ballot language; mayoral candidates), https://thegist.vote/question/2026-general-mi/genesee-flint-city-public-transportation-services-millage-renewal
Flint Beat, “Flint City Council sends lower-rate transit, safety, parks millages to November ballot,” July 30, 2026 (6-0 vote; Headlee rollbacks; quotes from Councilwoman Judy Priestley and CFO Philip Moore; parks and transit terms; taxable value), https://www.flintbeat.com/elections/three-millage-renewals-approved-for-november-ballot-72256b4e
Flintside, Jalen Garrison, “Flint Voter Guide 2026: What’s on the Nov. 3 Ballot” (county health care, animal shelter and Mott Community College millages; parks millage uses), https://flintside.com/flint-voter-guide-2026-whats-on-the-nov-3-ballot/
MLive, “Flint voters to decide on 3 proposed millage renewals in November,” July 2026 (proposals submitted by Mayor Sheldon Neeley), https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2026/07/flint-voters-to-decide-on-3-proposed-millage-renewals-in-november.html
Michigan Department of State, “Absentee voting” and election calendar (registration, early voting and absentee deadlines), https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting
Cost example: The Mitten Daily calculation from the ballot rates (mills × taxable value ÷ 1,000).
Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture, “Flint, Michigan Municipal Center,” March 5, 2022, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-corrected; derivative shared under the same license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flint,_Michigan_Municipal_Center.jpg
