PLYMOUTH, Mich. — Residents of Plymouth and the rest of Wayne County gave decisive support on Nov. 3 to two cultural tax measures that will underwrite Detroit museums and the Detroit Zoo for the next decade.
With most precincts counted, the Southeast Michigan Public Historical Museum Authority proposal was winning in Wayne County by roughly two-to-one, about 66 percent in favor and 34 percent against. Oakland County cleared the same question by a narrower margin near 55 percent, and both counties had to approve it before the levy could begin.
Organizers project nearly $30 million in the first year, including about $12.2 million from Wayne County taxpayers. Most of that pool will support Detroit’s African American history museum, the city’s main historical museum, and the Great Lakes museum on Belle Isle, with 15 percent reserved for smaller history museums in the two counties.
Campaign aides said county residents are set to get free museum admission starting Dec. 1, with free tour buses for seniors and students and fresh classroom materials for teachers. The African American history museum and the Detroit Historical Society are already waving admission fees through the weekend to thank supporters.
A separate zoo renewal also carried in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Wayne County returns showed about 74 percent yes on the 0.10-mill zoological authority tax, first passed in 2008 and last renewed in 2016. Officials expect about $18.8 million in the first year of the new cycle to feed and house more than 2,000 animals across 200-plus species and to keep education programs running.
Household cost estimates put the zoo renewal near $10 a year on a $200,000 home, while the museum levy runs about $20 per $100,000 of taxable value. Because Plymouth is part of Wayne County, local property owners will pay into both funds and can claim the museum benefits.
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