Orion Township police & fire millage presentation tees up Aug. 4 ballot

Orion Township residents headed into the Aug. 4, 2026 election will see two public-safety millage questions, and the lead-in for those proposals starts at the township’s July 6, 2026 Board of Trustees meeting.

This explainer is designed to help voters read the official Oakland County Elections ballot authorization text side-by-side for the police operating millage and the fire/EMS operating millage—including the millage levels, taxable-value basis language, term timing, and stated purposes. The July 6 item is a presentation, not approval by the Board.

Quick context: the July 6 “Police & Fire Millage Presentation”

On its July 6, 2026 agenda, Orion Township listed a “Police & Fire Millage Presentation.” This is the local step that tees up the voter-facing questions that appear in the county’s official proposal list for the Aug. 4 ballot.

Ballot primer: use the Oakland County Elections proposal list for the exact “what it authorizes” wording

For millage proposals, residents should treat the election office’s official proposal-list wording as the authoritative source for what voters are authorizing—because it spells out, in election-question form, the millage rate/level, the taxable base (including the “per $1,000 of taxable value” framing), the start/stop timing, and the stated purpose of the funds.

Police operating millage: what the Aug. 4 question authorizes (if approved)

The Oakland County Elections proposal list includes a question titled “Charter Township of Orion Police Operating Millage.”

• Millage level/rate (as written): The question asks that the previously voted increase be renewed at 3.41 mills and increased by 0.34 mills, for a total levy of 3.75 mills (stated as $3.75 per $1,000 of taxable value).
• Taxable-base language (as written): “$3.75 per $1,000 of taxable value”.
• Four-year term timing (as written): “for a period of four (4) years, starting December 2026 and expiring December 2029, inclusive.”
• Stated purpose (as written): “for the purpose of providing police services, including all related operating and capital expenditures.”

Fire/EMS operating millage: what the Aug. 4 question authorizes (if approved)

The proposal list includes a separate question titled “Charter Township of Orion Fire and Emergency Medical Services Operating Millage.”

• Millage level/rate (as written): Authorization is for a new additional millage of up to 3.85 mills.
• Taxable-base language (as written): “on all taxable property within the Township and Village of Lake Orion.”
• Four-year term timing (as written): “for a period of four (4) years, starting December 2026 and expiring December 2029, inclusive.”
• Stated purpose (as written): Funding “fire protection and emergency medical services (EMS), including Advanced Life Support,” and “all related operations, wages, benefits, and capital expenditures.”

Orion Township’s Fire Department also published a one-page operational millage fact sheet for context, including that the previous millage term expires December 31, 2026. But the election-day authorization language is the county’s official proposal-list text.

Timing you can plan around: the December 2026 start

Both the police and fire/EMS operating millage questions use the same core timing frame: the levies are described as starting with the December 2026 levy and continuing through December 2029, inclusive (for the four-year authorization period listed in the ballot language).

Where to look next before you vote

Before casting a ballot, review the Oakland County Elections official proposal list for the Aug. 4, 2026 election—specifically the Orion Township sections for the Police Operating Millage and the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Operating Millage.

And if you want the local lead-in, revisit the township’s July 6, 2026 agenda item labeled “Police & Fire Millage Presentation.”

Sources

• Oakland County Elections: Official Proposal List (Aug. 4, 2026)
• BoardBook: Orion Township Board of Trustees agenda (July 6, 2026)
• Orion Township Fire Department: Operational Millage Fact Sheet (2026)