When city officials announced a $150 million millage proposal to build a new “downtown,” many residents were excited by the prospect of creating a vibrant community center. However, a closer examination of the actual expenditure breakdown reveals something quite different: approximately 75% of the proposed funding is allocated to rebuilding municipal facilities, not creating downtown amenities.

Breaking Down the Numbers

Let’s look at what the $150 million would actually fund:

As these figures clearly show, over 80% of this funding is designated for municipal buildings (police, fire stations, and library). Only a small portion relates to actual downtown development elements.

What’s Missing from This “Downtown” Plan?

Even the $29.3 million allocated to “Site Infrastructure, Parking, Plaza & Demolition” isn’t primarily focused on creating genuine downtown features. The budget breakdown reveals that the majority of these funds will go toward:

• Site demolition of existing buildings
• Parking infrastructure
• Basic utilities and infrastructure needed for the new municipal buildings

According to the city’s own information on LivoniaBuilt.org, the residential and commercial development that would actually create a downtown atmosphere isn’t even part of this $150 million bond proposal. Instead, it’s designated as “Phase 4” of their plan, scheduled for 2029, and would be entirely funded by private developers—not this millage.

What’s noticeably absent from this $150 million plan are the elements that create an actual downtown:

• No funding for mixed-use development to attract businesses
• No significant investment in creating vibrant public gathering spaces beyond a basic plaza
• No plans for cultural or entertainment venues
• No actual provisions for residential development in this phase of funding
• No strategy for attracting retail or restaurant establishments

The Question We Should Be Asking

Why has the city rebranded what is essentially a municipal building replacement program from “downtown development” to “LivoniaBuilt” after facing public backlash, when the actual “downtown” elements wouldn’t be built until Phase 4 in 2029, and wouldn’t be funded by this millage at all?

The answer may lie in marketability. Asking taxpayers to fund new police and fire stations and a library might not generate the same enthusiasm as building a “downtown.” By first packaging these necessary but mundane infrastructure projects under the exciting label of downtown development, and then pivoting to the “LivoniaBuilt” branding when facing criticism, the city appears to be attempting to increase public support for the millage while obscuring its true purpose.

This approach raises serious questions about transparency in government. According to the city’s website, the private development of retail, restaurants, and housing that would actually create a downtown atmosphere is planned as Phase 4, occurring after all municipal buildings are replaced, and would be funded by private developers—not taxpayers. Yet this crucial information is often downplayed in public discussions.

Even more concerning, these four phases are just components of a broader master plan with additional phases, costs, and variables that have not been fully disclosed to the public. The total financial commitment Livonia residents may face over the coming decades remains largely unknown.

An Alternative Approach

As our City Council President recently suggested, these projects could—and perhaps should—be separated into different proposals:

1. A public safety millage focused on police and fire facilities
2. A library millage specifically for library improvements
3. A true downtown development initiative focused on creating public spaces, supporting mixed-use development, and establishing the foundation for a genuine downtown district

This approach would allow voters to evaluate each proposal on its own merits rather than packaging them together under a misleading label.

The Bottom Line

Livonia needs updated municipal facilities, and it would benefit from a true downtown. But conflating these distinct needs under a single, misleadingly labeled millage does a disservice to voters and taxpayers.

If we’re going to invest $150 million in our community, let’s be honest about where that money is going and what we’re trying to achieve. And if we genuinely want a downtown, let’s develop a real plan to create one—not just rebuild city municipal buildings and call it a downtown.

Next time: We’ll examine the true financial impact of this millage on homeowners over the full 25-year period, including factors the city’s tax calculator conveniently omits.