By: McKenna Golat | Southfield Sun | Published January 27, 2026
LATHRUP VILLAGE — At its Jan. 26 meeting, the Lathrup Village City Council approved ballot language for a proposed library millage that will be placed on the November 2026 ballot.
The millage, if approved by voters in November, would authorize a 1-mill levy for the purposes of funding library services. The millage would run for five years.
If voters approve the proposal in November, the millage would first appear during the 2027 summer tax season. It is estimated that the millage would generate approximately $175,000 in its first year, if approved.
Council member John Sousanis said that although the council cannot tell people how to vote in November, he said that he thinks library services are important.
“We’ve seen that there’s a breadth of ways to give library services to a community,” he said. “I think the way we do it now is great, and if there’s a way to retain that, then I think it’s worth putting out there for the voters to decide.”
Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Garrett echoed this and said that while she supports funding library services, she does not want her opinion to sway how people vote on the millage in November.
“My thoughts are that everyone should have access to library services, and I believe that library services are valuable,” she said.
Lathrup Village has a contract with the Southfield Public Library to provide library services to Lathrup Village’s residents.
This is a new mileage for Lathrup Village. Lathrup Village City Administrator Mike Green said that when the Headlee override millage proposal failed in November, the Lathrup Village City Council looked at how to adjust the city’s budget. The library services contract between Lathrup Village and Southfield was considered to be cut. The Lathrup Village City Council did not want to cancel the contract immediately and decided to put the decision to voters for the November 2026 ballot.
Money generated from the millage, if approved, can only be used toward library services.
The exact language expected for the November ballot is as follows:
“Shall the City of Lathrup Village, Oakland County, Michigan, be authorized to levy a new millage of 1.0 mill ($1.00 per $1,000 of taxable value), for a period of five (5) years, 2027 through 2031 inclusive, with the revenue to be used exclusively to fund the City’s library services contract? If approved and levied in full, this millage is estimated to generate approximately $175,000 in the first calendar year of the levy. This millage would be subject to reduction as required by law, including the Headlee Amendment.”