Imlay City residents to see slight tax decrease

New fire truck expected this summer

 

IMLAY CITY — It may seem like a small amount to some, but the alternative wasn’t good, if you are a taxpayer in Imlay City.

The Imlay City Commission met in regular session Monday, June 8 and by the end of the meeting, they had voted to not increase taxes in Imlay City.

City Assessor Nathan Hager was in attendance at the meeting which included a public hearing on the 2026 Truth in Taxation Millage.

The hearing is an annual formality that seldom has been met with any kind of question. Until last week.

After his presentation on taxable values in Imlay City and what effect the current rate of inflation (2.7%) could potentially have, a majority of commissioners wanted to find a way to save city taxpayers as much money as they could and not raise taxes.

Many have said Imlay City is among the highest taxed communities in Lapeer County.

Hager told the commission, “most municipalities in the county are doing a rollback. You are not.”

Mayor Pro-Tem Bob Tanis said, “ this is scary stuff. We already pay high taxes in Imlay City, me included. We have to stop taxing our residents. We’re already highest in the county.”

He continued, “if there is a way to put money back into taxpayers’ pockets, we should do that.”

According to Hager, a home with a $300,000 value would have a tax bill of around $6,900 per year. A home with a taxable value of $200,000 would have a tax bill of approx. $4,700.

After much discussion, Commission member Luke Stempien made a motion to approve a lower rate for taxation that will give the city an additional $15,000 instead of the $62,000 that had been planned. City Manager Craig Horton and Clerk Dawn-Sawicki-Franz both stated adjustments would need to be made for the upcoming 2026-2027 budget to reflect the change.

“As houses increase in value, people pay more in taxes and we have to provide services, which cost more money each year,” said Mayor Barbara Yockey. She was the lone no vote on Stempien’s motion.

In a statement to the Tri-City Times after the meeting, Mayor Yockey explained her vote, saying “I voted against the millage reduction at the last Imlay City Commission Meeting.

I did that for several reasons. By my rough calculations, the benefit for an individual house in Imlay City would be very small–less than $3 per month. Instead, the grand majority of that cut in taxes will benefit commercial properties.

However, the approximately $62,500 total reduction were funds that were already counted as revenue in the 2026-2027 fiscal year budget.

That 2026-2027 budget, which included the $62,500, had been previously approved by the City Commission and those funds had already been allocated to the city departments.”

In other commission news, an update was given on the fire department’s new truck that is currently in production.

It’s expected the new apparatus, built by Pierce, will be delivered in July or August and not be put into service until early fall, once training on the new truck is completed.

Originally, the truck purchase was approved by a previous council at a meeting on December 12, 2022 at a cost of $959,937.

City officials were told when the purchase was approved, it could take 34 to 37 months for delivery of the newest addition to the fire department fleet of trucks.

That same council also approved $40,000 for the purchase of loose equipment for the new truck. Fire officials said at the time, it was cheaper to buy the equipment “loose” as opposed to it coming with the new rig.

In addition, council gave a positive vote on the expenditure of an additional $45,000 for a new battery-operated Jaws of Life that replaces an outdated version of the rescue tool.

The new truck is a 2,000 gallon engine that has seating and self-contained breathing apparatus for six people.

It will come with a 1,500 gallon per minute pump and have the department number 321 lettered on the sides.

Department officials have said the actual final cost of the new apparatus could be different than the original price, depending on final change orders.