Judge Rules Wyandotte Can Capture Detroit Zoo, DIA Millage Dollars

The city of Wyandotte will not have to pay back any money it captured from voter-approved tax levies for the Detroit Zoo and Detroit Institute of the Arts a Michigan judge ruled.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Daniel Ryan said on June 14 that Wyandotte and eight other communities — including Dearborn, Northville, and Plymouth Township — were within their rights to capture a portion of the millage to help with business growth in their Downtown Development Authorities.

The communities filed a lawsuit against Wayne County Treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz and the two taxing authorities set up to oversee the DIA and zoo millages earlier this year.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Ryan said capturing money for the special districts in the communities was "legislatively authorized," and the municipalities did not do anything wrong.

In an effort to prevent future issues with tax dollars earmarked for the DIA and Detroit Zoo, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley signed House Bills 4458, and 4461-4463 into law on Tuesday.

The bills prohibit a TIF or a Local Development Financing Authority from capturing regional property taxes meant to subsidize the Detroit Zoo and the Detroit Institute for the Arts.

“Voters approved millages to support these cultural icons, and these bills guarantee that the voice of the voters in southeast Michigan is not only heard, but followed,” Calley said in a press release.

Wyandotte City Administrator Todd Drysdale could not be reached for comment.