What Do You Need to Know Before Voting on the Millage Question?

Ferndale residents will head to the city's nine precincts May 3 to vote on a millage increase called a Headlee Override. If the millage passes, it will allow the Ferndale City Council to raise the city's general operating tax rate 3 mills for fiscal year ending 2012 and up to 2.45 mills for the next four years. The increases would expire Dec. 31, 2015.

The increase would raise your total tax bill about 6 percent the first year and an additional 5 percent the next four years.

The money would go into the general fund to help close a projected $2.3 million shortfall for fiscal year 2012 and a projected shortfall of $16 million the next five years.

Those are the basics of the millage.

Check out our May 3 election landing page for your polling location, previous budget stories and context .

What questions do you have? You can drop them in the comments or email Ferndale Patch editor Terry Parris Jr. and he'll find the answers for you: Terry.Parris@patch.com