Photos
Videos
Pdfs
Editor's Note: This is the first in a two-part series exploring the issues and opinions surrounding the millage to support the Detroit Institute of Arts. Check back tomorrow for part II.
Mary Cassatt, Vincent van Gogh and Diego Rivera are among candidates for local support in Metro Detroit's Aug. 7 primary elections. A millage request by the Detroit Institute of Arts – the museum displaying their art – will be on ballots in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
Each county's elected commissioners this spring approved language for a 0.2-mill proposal to support the DIA as a regional resource. In addition to nominating candidates for congressional, state, county and local offices on Primary Day, voters will be asked to answer that yes-or-no DIA tax question.
An impassioned debate has begun to intensify, as it always does when property taxes and city-suburban relations are involved. The political landscape also is shaped by economic uncertainty and some communities' tax proposals for parks and recreation, public safety and education. Other countywide requests Aug. 7 include a .59-mill renewal for Oakland's Public Transportation Authority and a .04-mill renewal for Macomb veterans' services.
Facts and views about the DIA millage are summarized here:
Ballot language
The three county boards of commissioners this year established separate Art Institute Authorities, allowed under a 2010 state law, to submit the August millage question and monitor the use of funds if it passes. The four-sentence ballot wording (see attached PDF file) asks for a yes or no vote on a tax "to continue providing art institute services to benefit the residents" of the voter's county. The phrases "Detroit Institute of Arts," "DIA" and "museum" aren't used.
Tax impact
A levy of 0.2 mills means 20 cents per each $1,000 of taxable value. Property owners would pay $10 for every $100,000 of taxable value shown on municipal tax statements.
Duration
The 10-year tax would begin with December 2012 property tax bills and end in 2021.
Money for DIA
Voters will see one of these estimates of 2012 revenue to be generated: Macomb, $4.9 million; Oakland, $9.8 million; Wayne, $8.3 million.
In exchange, residents and school groups from counties approving the millage can visit the DIA anytime without a general admission fee.
Museum governance
Detroit owns the DIA’s collection, building and grounds. It transferred museum management last decade to a nonprofit operating authority, governed by a board of directors from the tri-county area.
Reason for proposal
"The DIA does not receive any funds from the state, city or county," the campaign's FAQ page states. "Elimination of all public funding for operations has required the museum to turn almost entirely to the private sector, an operating model that is not sustainable, particularly in the current economy."
Additional operating revenue for a decade is needed to avoid reducing the current DIA public access of 36 hours over five days each week, executives say. "An operating endowment of $72 million provides funding for approximately 20 percent of annual operations," millage campaign spokesman Bob Berg tells Patch.
Passage by all three counties, according to the online statement, "will allow an expansion of operating days and hours to better accommodate public and school groups. ... The museum's ultimate goal is to become financially self-sustaining ... [through] fundraising [that will] focus on building an operating endowment."
Impact of rejection
"The urgency of the situation requires success in all three counties for operational stability," the official statement says. "A DIA without millage support [in all three counties] will not be the DIA we know today."
The media handout suggests the possibility of "a severe reduction of museum services and programs," perhaps including the end of school tours and "opening selected galleries only on weekends." In a recent statement posted at Rochester Patch, DIA director Graham Beal concludes: "The millage will help ensure that the DIA is around for future generations to enjoy."
The museum's TV ad campaign began June 26, as reported by Crain's Detroit Business. A half-minute commercial (attached to this report) uses the tagline "Art is for everyone –it's what we save for our kids." As museum scenes are shown, a narrator says: "Imagine this: special exhibits, school field trips, art workshops – gone. The Detroit Institute of Arts is at risk of closing its doors. But we can save it by passing a low-cost millage."
Those scenarios and emotional language are crafted as part of a campaign that also includes a website, Facebook page and high-caliber consultants from the Dewey Square Group, a national political advisory firm with a Grosse Pointe office, and Berg Muirhead and Associates, a Detroit public relations agency.
Come back to Bloomfield Patch tomorrow for a look at what people are saying about the proposal in part II.
Nancy McConnell
10:31 am on Monday, July 9, 2012
If voters in Oakland County approve the proposal, but it is rejected by Wayne and/or Macomb, we will still be on the hook and could end up as the sole public fund provider for the DIA! What on earth were our commissioners thinking? A regional tax must be spread throughout the region if it is to be fair. Ideally, the recipient of the funds would be named up front in the ballot language and, in this case, the Detroit Institute of Arts is not. Deceitful? Maybe. Less than honest? Clearly.
Linda P
11:18 am on Monday, July 9, 2012
I agree wholeheartedly with all that Nancy M. comments on above. There is far too much emotion in this issue..art lovers want the DIA to remain viable...so do I but lets be fair about it both in spreading the responsibility as well as the amount of money being asked for.
Alan Stamm
3:45 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Your comment about partial passage is accurate, Ms. McConnell. (The word "if" obviously is intended between "but" and "it" near the start.)
Passage solely in Oakland, or in any two counties, would generate revenues from that area (or those areas) at the same millage rate proposed. In other words, partial passage would not raise the local tax amount(s).
So "sole public fund provider" is potentially correct, though it shouldn't be interpreted as meaning Oakland taxpayers might have to cover shares that neighboring counties' voters declined to approve.
An editorial in the latest Downtown Birmingham/Bloomfield monthly agrees that a regional approach would be preferable:
"We recommend voting YES to fund a county arts authority," it concludes, "although we would have preferred to see a mandatory regional authority established, as the DIA, like the Detroit Zoo, is a regional asset. Separate county authorities acting independently are counterproductive to a regional approach to preserving worthwhile regional cultural institutions." http://bit.ly/LFFD7p
Linda P
11:17 am on Monday, July 9, 2012
It is my understanding that the millage if passed will raise funds far in excess of what is needed to meet the DIA's budget...this alone is reason to reject it.
Neal Charness
11:27 am on Monday, July 9, 2012
Is Nancy correct? Can anyone verify? Thanks.
Sue Ann Douglas
3:35 pm on Monday, July 30, 2012
I was a County Commissioner for 18 years and Nancy McConnell is absolutely correct. Unlike the tax promoters, I will not vote 'yes' nor should anyone else with the hope that it will pass in all 3 counties and that Oakland won't be the only county paying. This type of millage has never been handled this way in Oakland County before and has required regional passage for Oakland County participation. Check out the SMART ballot question on the same ballot. Although it is on the ballot through similar enabling legislation, it clearly identifies the recipient of the tax. The DIA ballot question NEVER mentions the DIA and is written so that an unaware voter might vote for it thinking that it is facilities in Oakland County. It's just plane deceptive. The Dems and the following Republican commissioners set us up as a stand-alone: Potts, Gingell, Crawford, Hoffman, Middleton and Dwyer.
Neal Charness
11:30 am on Monday, July 9, 2012
It would be good to get verification of what Linda has said, there were many issues about her statements on the school bond issue but she may be correct here. I don't currently have a view on this proposal but I would not be comfortable relying on allegations by Linda. Again, that doesn't mean she's wrong here it just means independent verification would be useful to decide what's right.
Linda P
7:57 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012
I guess no one has a valid opinion except Neal, a bit of narcissity on his part.
Neal Charness
3:27 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Linda: Narcissism is an undue concern about one's self. My post was about your actions, comments, and questionable integrity during the school bond issue. Truthfully, I am suspicious of any of your comments.
That being said, I don't know the answers on the DIA issue. Your comments or future comments shouldn't carry any weight. You may be correct on this but I, and hopefully, others can't give your comments any credibility absent independent verification.
Your attempt at an ad hominen attack on me just shows you're not willing to honestly discuss things.
Sue Ann Douglas
9:25 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
I've found three sets of numbers for who visits the DIA. The orginal list was sent out by the DIA to the media and said that 19% of the visits were from Oakland County, then I found numbers based on paid admission that said that 28% or the payers were from Oakland, and now, they say that it's always been 34%? Come on DIA people, I know that you've tried to clean your old numbers off the web but you weren't successful. Now you have the nerve to basically call the one brave writer who hasn't sided with you and me liars?
Remember the old adage: Figures never lie, but liars figure.
And, here's another one: If the shoe fits, wear it!
DIA Tax Face-off: The Museum vs.Walker
http://www.michiganview.com/article/20120726/MIVIEW/207260494
Mary Anderson
10:19 am on Monday, July 30, 2012
If Oakland and Macomb vote yes and Wayne votes no, will Wayne county
also get into the DIA free???? This sounds like yet another scheme to have Oakland and Macomb pay for Wayne.......NO MORE OF THAT RIPOFF !!
VOTE NO !
Sue Ann Douglas
3:21 pm on Monday, July 30, 2012
No, only counties who vote yes will get free admission. In fact, Wayne set itself up to be a stand-alone if it fails everywhere else. However, Please Vote 'NO.' There are many reasons from the fact that the majority of our commissioners voted to let Oakland County be a stand alone (something NEVER done before with this type of ballot question) and the deceptive ballot language that makes this millage look like it's for facilities in Oakland county. The DIA is playing both word and number games since they have realized that they have some opposition. Don't buy their numbers unless they detail how they came about and also remember that they count visits, not people. If one person goes 100 times in a year, that's 100 visits.
Vote 'NO'.
Sue Ann Douglas
3:43 pm on Monday, July 30, 2012
Sue Ann Douglas • Top Commenter • Retired County Commissioner at Oakland County
Representative McMillin is exonerated - the DIA is crying wolf. Furthermore, if the tax passes, the DIA will NOT use the tax revenue for an endowment for operations. The fund that they currently refer to an an endowment for operations is just a voluntary DIA Board-restricted budget set-aside and what the Board restricts, it can use for anything with a simple vote of the Board.
The DIA's plan is to use the requested tax revenue for operations while they raise funds for an operating endowment. Through various management, over almost 130 years, they have not seen fit to drive money into a real endowment for operations so why should we trust them to do it now? The DIA seems to like to play word and number games during this election and the money that Rep. McMillin has referred to - they called an endowment when it really isn't a legal endowment. A real endowment takes permission from the heirs and the court to use for another purposes - a much trickier process than a simple vote of the DIA Board.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120727/METRO01/207270393/1409/metro/Debate-DIA-s-finances-heats-up
Sue Ann Douglas
3:47 pm on Monday, July 30, 2012
Sue Ann Douglas • Top Commenter • Retired County Commissioner at Oakland County
Representative McMillin is exonerated - the DIA is crying wolf. Furthermore, if the tax passes, the DIA will NOT use the tax revenue for an endowment for operations. The fund that they currently refer to an an endowment for operations is just a voluntary DIA Board-restricted budget set-aside and what the Board restricts, it can use for anything with a simple vote of the Board.
The DIA's plan is to use the requested tax revenue for operations while they raise funds for an operating endowment. Through various management, over almost 130 years, they have not seen fit to drive money into a real endowment for operations so why should we trust them to do it now? The DIA seems to like to play word and number games during this election and the money that Rep. McMillin has referred to - they called an endowment when it really isn't a legal endowment. A real endowment takes permission from the heirs and the court to use for another purposes - a much trickier process than a simple vote of the DIA Board.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120727/METRO01/207270393/1409/metro/Debate-DIA-s-finances-heats-up
The DIA has money to spend to get your money. Vote ‘NO’.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120728/POLITICS02/207280355/DIA-donates-1-5M-millage-fight?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE