Canton Township property owners will see a new line on their tax bills starting in 2026 after Wayne County voters overwhelmingly approved a 10-year transit millage on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

The measure passed 67% to 33% countywide, with more than 230,000 yes votes and roughly 113,000 no votes across 719 of 720 precincts, WXYZ reported. Canton is one of 17 Wayne County communities that had previously opted out of the SMART bus system and will now pay the levy for the first time.

In a companion report on Plymouth Township's results, that community approved the same millage by just 317 votes. Canton's result was never in doubt at the county level, but the passage means SMART bus service is coming to the township's major corridors for the first time.

What Canton homeowners will pay

The millage rate is 0.9831 mills, or about $0.98 per $1,000 of taxable value. For a Canton homeowner with a taxable value of $100,000 — roughly a $200,000 market-value home — the new tax will cost approximately $96 per year, according to the Detroit News. The levy runs from 2026 through 2035.

The 26 Wayne County communities already in the SMART system will not see a rate increase. Only the 17 previously opted-out communities, including Canton, will pay the new tax. Countywide, the millage is estimated to generate $57.6 million in its first year.

What routes are planned

SMART's Wayne County Transit Evaluation, presented to area townships in a [joint board packet in March](https://www.plymouthtownshipmi.gov/Agendas Minutes/Board of Trustees/2026/JointBOT-PCPacket20260303.pdf), identified Canton as having among the strongest potential for fixed-route bus service.

Five routes are planned to serve the township:

  • Route 250 (Ford Road): An 11.1-mile extension connecting grocery and retail near Lotz Road, Willow Creek Center medical facilities, restaurants along Ford Road and shops near Canton Center Road. Scheduled for 2027.
  • Route 261/262 (FAST Michigan): A 10.7-mile extension, also scheduled for 2027.
  • Route 200/210 (Michigan Local): A 10.7-mile extension reaching an Amazon warehouse, Crossroad Villages shopping center and Universal Technical Institute. Scheduled for 2028.
  • Route 295 (Plymouth): A new route running Detroit–Redford Township–Livonia–Plymouth Township–Plymouth–Canton. Scheduled for 2027.
  • Route 345 (Haggerty): A new route running Commerce Township–Novi–Northville–Plymouth Township–Plymouth–Canton–Van Buren Township. Scheduled for 2027.

SMART CEO Tiffany J. Gunter said the agency will phase in service over approximately three years, guided by each community's needs. Gunter declared victory in a statement after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5, calling the millage "real dollars for real service" that will bring every Wayne County community into one connected transit system.

How it got here

In 2025, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Public Act 236 of 2024, ending the ability of Wayne County communities to opt out of the transit millage. That meant all 43 cities and townships in the county voted on the measure for the first time.

Canton Township held a town hall at the Canton Public Library on Tuesday, July 28, to present its Moving Together: Western Wayne County Transit Strategy, developed with OHM Advisors and neighboring municipalities.

Dhanya Ramanujam, 19, a Canton resident and Wayne State University student, told the Detroit News she voted yes after studying the proposed route maps and seeing she could catch a bus from campus and be dropped off two miles from her Canton home. "I wouldn't have to rely on my parents if I needed to come home for anything," Ramanujam said.

The millage replaces an expiring levy previously collected by the Wayne County Transit Authority to fund SMART. The new revenue will be distributed among Wayne County, SMART, the Detroit Department of Transportation and other regional transit providers.

Canton Township has not yet announced when its Board of Trustees will discuss transit implementation.