Oakland County museum millage: a new 0.2-mill tax for Detroit museums and a Detroit Zoo renewal are on the Nov. 3 ballot

ROYAL OAK, Mich. — Oakland County voters will decide two countywide property taxes for cultural institutions on Nov. 3: a new 10-year levy for three Detroit museums and a renewal of the tax that helps run the Detroit Zoo, which sits in Royal Oak.

The museum question is the bigger change. The Southeast Michigan Public Historical Museum Authority, a joint body that the Wayne and Oakland county commissions created in July, is asking for 0.2 mill, or 20 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, from 2026 through 2035. A home with a taxable value of $100,000 would pay about $20 more a year; at $150,000, about $30.

Oakland would pay the larger share. According to the ballot language and a memo from the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan, the tax would raise about $17.7 million a year in Oakland County, compared with about $12.2 million in Wayne County, where the museums are located. Of the roughly $30 million total, 85% would go to the museums after administrative costs, split 60% to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and 40% to the Detroit Historical Society, which runs the Detroit Historical Museum and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle. The other 15% of each county’s money, about $2.7 million from Oakland, would go back to that county to support local history museums.

What the money would cover. The research council found both nonprofits running deficits of more than $1 million in fiscal 2025. The Historical Society spent $7.6 million against $6.2 million in revenue, and the Wright spent $13.9 million against $12.5 million. Under the split, the Historical Society would receive about $10.2 million a year and the Wright about $15.3 million, more than either spent last year. The council said the extra could go to backlogged repairs or reserves, and that the City of Detroit, which owns all three buildings and gave the two groups $5.3 million in its latest budget, “may no longer have to provide operational support.” Residents of both counties would get free admission, plus free transportation for students and seniors, the memo says.

One vote, two counties. The measure passes or fails on the combined vote of Wayne and Oakland together, the research council noted. That means Oakland property owners could be taxed even if a majority of Oakland voters say no. The council also noted that museum attendance is not broken out by county, so it is unclear how many Oakland residents visit; the Wright reported more than 53,000 visitors in 2024, and the Historical Society more than 110,000 across both museums in 2023.

The authority route came after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a bill this summer that would have let any Michigan county create a history museum authority with its own tax, the research council wrote. A campaign called Yes to Our Story is urging a yes vote. The council urged property owners to weigh “how this new millage will impact their overall property tax bill and determine if the cost is worth the benefit.”

The Detroit Zoo question. Separately, the Oakland County Zoological Authority asks voters to renew its zoo tax at 0.10 mill for 2028 through 2037. State-required rollbacks have trimmed the current rate to 0.0927 mill, so the proposal renews that and restores the other 0.0073 mill, putting the rate back where voters set it in 2008 and 2016. The ballot language estimates $8.83 million in the first year for animal care, education and senior programs and upkeep at the zoo. On a $150,000 taxable value, the full 0.10 mill is $15 a year, about $1.10 more than today’s rate.

Wayne County voters face their own museum and zoo questions, and Royal Oak voters also decide a school bond and two city millage renewals.

Michigan voters can request an absentee ballot by mail or online through Friday, Oct. 30, and in person at the clerk's office through 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2. Early in-person voting runs through Sunday, Nov. 1, and polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. You can still register in person at your clerk’s office with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Check your sample ballot at the Michigan Voter Information Center.

Sources:
Citizens Research Council of Michigan, “Oakland and Wayne County Ballot Issue: Southeast Michigan Public Historical Museum Authority Millage Proposal,” Memorandum 1187, October 2026, https://crcmich.org/PUBLICAT/2020s/2026/memo1187-southeast-michigan-public-historical-museum-authority-millage.pdf
City of Southfield, Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot proof (Oakland County ballot language for the museum authority and zoological authority proposals), https://www.cityofsouthfield.com/sites/default/files/2026-09/november-general-ballot-proof.pdf
Oakland County Journal, “Beyond the school bonds: museum, zoo and city tax questions on your Nov. 3 ballot,” https://oaklandcountyjournal.com/articles/nov-3-local-millages-museums-zoo-city
Yes to Our Story campaign, FAQ, https://www.yestoourstory.com/faq
Michigan Voter Information Center, https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/
Photo: Michael Barera, “Detroit Historical Museum July 2018 01.jpg,” July 6, 2018, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detroit_Historical_Museum_July_2018_01.jpg

Royal Oak · Election 2026 coverage

Tags: Royal Oak · Election 2026 · Oakland County · Millage · Detroit Zoo · Property Taxes