A recount Monday of a tax increase for police protection in Oxford Township that failed by two votes in the Nov. 2 election didn’t change the outcome.
The no votes and the yes votes each increased by one vote in the recount, meaning the request for a 0.75-mill tax increase failed.
The Oakland County Board of Canvassers also were scheduled to recount a 4.5-mill property tax increase in Royal Oak Township that also lost by two votes but were unable to do so, leaving the election day results of that ballot question unchanged.
“We completed the Oxford Township recount and the millage proposal still failed by two votes,” said Oakland County Elections Director Joe Rozell.
“The Royal Oak Township recount we were not able to conclude because the ballot containers arrived at the canvassing board and they were not sealed correctly, so were unable to proceed with the recount,” Rozell said. “So the results from election night showing that millage failed by two votes stand and are now certified as that millage failing by two votes.”
The final tally of the Oxford Township vote on the tax increase was 2,886 no votes to 2,884 yes votes. In Royal Oak Township, the final outcome remained at 376 no votes to 374 yes votes.
In Oxford Township, it was Planning Commissioner Jack L. Curtis who asked for the recount, paying $120 to have absentee ballots in six precincts recounted as well as the vote totals in the six precincts.
With the no votes and the yes votes each picking up one vote each, “it wouldn’t have made the outcome any different as they canceled each other out,” Curtis said. “We did have a real good election.”
Oxford Township Clerk Curtis W. Wright said it’ll be up to the township board to decide whether to seek another vote on a tax increase.
In the Nov. 2 election, Oxford Township voters approved a property tax renewal for police services but narrowly rejected the second question for a tax increase.
“This means we have to go back to the drawing board if we’re going to make a decision to go for another millage or not,” Wright said.
Wright speculated the soonest a tax increase could appear on the ballot for voters again would be November.
Failure of the proposed tax increase doesn’t necessarily mean an immediate reduction in police services provided for the township by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, however.
“Chances are we’ll be reducing, probably not in 2011, but in 2012 we’ll definitely have to be looking at some sort of restaffing of the police force,” Wright said.
Contact Charles Crumm at 248-745-4649, charlie.crumm@oakpress.com or follow him on Twitter @crummc and on Facebook.
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