Competing Michigan property tax plans include both reform and elimination

(FOX 2) - For decades, public officials have avoided touching Michigan's property tax system. 

While many complain of high costs associated with owning a home, the taxes help pay for schools and local governments.

Now, competing plans are evolving in Lansing, with one pitching reform and another pushing for their outright elimination. 

Big picture view:

Michigan voters may have a crowded ballot when they head to the polls in 2026 for the midterm elections next year.

The consequential election is still more than a year out, but the political wheels this summer have been turning a lot and the number of potential questions voters could face could be a lengthy one.

Among possible ballot proposals is one that would completely remove Michigan's property tax.

The main funding mechanism that many schools and local governments use to fund operations would cease if the proposal is approved. Alternative revenue sources would be needed to keep municipalities up and running if voters gave the initiative their approval.

The AxMITAX campaign is led by Karla Wagner, who has set the goal of collecting 600,000 valid signatures this summer to ensure the proposal makes the 2026 ballot.

The petition's language that will be circulating this summer can be found here.

Dig deeper:

The campaign is not the only push for property tax relief in Michigan.

State House Speaker Matt Hall said reform was badly needed. The last time lawmakers touched property tax was three decades ago. He predicted the issue would "dominate" state politics.

"How do we do property tax and the potential of putting that on the next ballot if we can't do it all, legislatively," Hall told Tim Skubick on Off The Record earlier in August. 

He said he'd be working on reforming Prop A, which funds schools specifically, and the Headlee Amendment, which is a function used by local governments. 

But whereas Wagner wants to completely rid the state of property taxes, Hall only wants to reduce it for some people. That's because so many governing agencies rely heavily on the revenue source to stay up and running.

"We need to properly fund education and local governments - that's why you can't get rid of the property tax," Hall said at the time. "After the budget, our next focus is going to be how we tackle this issue and at that time I'll have a good read on whether that's something we can pull that together for this election. We're definitely considering it."

Major ballot proposals

Voters could also be deciding on voting and election security issues next year.

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers, which approves language for ballot initiatives that voters see, has also given the greenlight for issues about Ranked Choice Voting, a tax on the state's wealthiest citizens to fund schools, and voter ID laws.