By: Alyssa Ochss | St. Clair Shores Sentinel | Published October 10, 2025
ST. CLAIR SHORES — On Nov. 4, St. Clair Shores voters will be asked to approve or reject a police and fire millage put on the ballot by a majority vote of the City Council earlier in the year.
According to the ballot language on file with the Macomb County clerk’s office, the public is being asked to renew the original 4.4192 mils and an added 0.50 mils for a total levy of 4.9192 mils. The document stated this will raise $10,950,730 in the first year for use by the St. Clair Shores Police Department and the St. Clair Shores Fire Department.
At their meeting on July 21, council members and the mayor were asked to approve one of three options for the millage. The other two options were to keep the millage rate the same at 4.4192 mils or to raise it back to 5 mils, generating around $11,130,600 in the first year.
The ballot language was approved in a 5-2 vote with Councilman John Caron and Councilwoman Candice Rusie both opposed to raising the rates. Both council members as well as Councilman and current Mayor Pro Tem Dave Rubello are up for election this year.
Caron said in an interview he was always in favor of a renewal stating it would fund all current operations and equipment they have at both departments.
“I did not see any argument or plan for what the increased funding would be used for so without that I, in good conscience, could not ask the residents for an increase if there wasn’t a plan for how the increased funds would get used,” Caron said.
Caron said if the millage were to pass, he wants the budget to be looked at to make sure the money does go to the departments and doesn’t get mixed in with the rest of the general fund.
He explained that the current millage is used to offset any funding the departments need, but it does not fund all police and fire functions.
The police and fire millage goes into the general fund which is one large account.
“The budget is how it’s decided, how the general fund dollars gets split between the different departments,” Caron said.
Councilman Ronald Frederick said in a text message that the millage only covers around $11 million of the $23 million it takes to cover the cost of the departments. He said the proposal used to be at 5 mils but due to Headlee rollbacks, it dropped, hence the need to raise it.
“As everything costs more so does the operations of these two important departments!” Frederick said in the texts. “I can only say, when you call 911, it’s too late to upgrade your departments. That’s why we need to do it now!”
For the full proposal language and other election information, go to the clerk’s section of the Macomb County government website at macombgov.org.