Washtenaw County residents may soon face a new property tax question on their November ballot. The county Board of Commissioners voted 5-4 on July 1 to advance a healthcare access millage that would raise more than $5.1 million in its first year.

The measure would add 0.2 mills to property taxes for three years, from 2026 through 2028. County officials say the levy is a direct response to federal healthcare cuts that threaten coverage for thousands of local residents.

Who voted yes and who voted no

The narrow vote split the board down the middle. Commissioners Andy LaBarre, Yousef Rabhi, Katie Scott, Annie Somerville and Justin Hodge voted in favor. Commissioners Crystal Lyte, Jason Maciejewski, Caroline Saunders and Shannon Beeman voted against, according to mlive.

"We are asking for the authorization by voters to respond in a targeted, timely fashion to this attack on our healthcare system," Commissioner LaBarre said, according to mlive. "That will require, I believe, far more money than we can provide through certain ad hoc measures."

LaBarre cited projections that 12,000 to 18,000 county residents could lose health insurance under federal policy changes.

Commissioner Lyte pushed back against the tax approach. She said the county should first explore other funding sources to cover a gap she estimated at around $700,000 for the Washtenaw Health Project in 2027.

"I support making sure that this health project is fully funded," Lyte said, according to mlive. "We have other opportunities to cover the (WHP) gap for 2027."

Lyte also noted that the millage did not go through the same resident engagement process used for previous county tax measures.

Where the money would go

The proposed millage splits funds three ways, according to mlive:

  • 50% to the Washtenaw Health Project (WHP), a Ypsilanti-based program that helps low-income uninsured residents access health insurance and apply for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans
  • 25% to public health services and community health workers through the county health department
  • 25% to reproductive and sexual health services, distributed through a request for proposals process

Jeremy Lapedis, WHP Executive Director, said the funds would expand coverage to thousands more residents, according to mlive. The money would help about 3,000 more people access Medicaid, provide county health plan coverage for about 1,000 more people, and assist an additional 300 residents with marketplace enrollments.

The WHP reported a sharp drop in healthcare marketplace enrollments earlier this year, signaling growing need amid federal restructuring.

A $500,000 bridge to Planned Parenthood

In a separate vote at the same July 1 meeting, commissioners unanimously approved $500,000 in one-time emergency bridge funding for Planned Parenthood of Michigan, according to mlive and WEMU.

The money is meant to sustain operations at clinics serving Washtenaw County residents, including the Power Family Health Center in Ann Arbor. The county framed the allocation as an emergency intervention to avoid immediate service cutbacks, according to Hoodline.

Residents submitted letters urging commissioners not to send taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood. Some public commenters raised moral objections to abortion and contraception services. The commissioners approved the funding despite the pushback, according to mlive.

What it would cost homeowners

County officials are considering offsetting the new millage by reducing levies on other county taxes that voters have already approved. That approach would keep the overall property tax rate flat instead of raising it.

A 0.2-mill levy would cost the owner of a $200,000 home around $20 a year, according to mlive.

The county board is expected to take a final vote on whether to place the millage on the ballot on Wednesday, August 5. If approved by the board, voters would decide the question on November 3.

The proposed resolution cites federal legislation called the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" and restructuring at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as threats to the county's public health system, according to mlive.