Nearly half of the Fraser City Council could be recalled this year for raising taxes.

The Macomb County Election Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved recall petition language filed against Council Members Michael Lesich, Suzanne Kalka and David Winowiecki.

The petitions — one for each council member — were filed Jan. 9 by Karl Haus. The council members were among six of seven members who voted last year for a 9-mill property tax increase for police and fire services.

City officials said the special assessment, which some residents supported, was needed to shore up Fraser's $15.7-million general operating budget. Without it, the city could have faced an emergency manager situation.

More:Fraser imposes 9-mill tax increase; other towns could follow

More:Recall effort aims at Fraser council members who voted for tax hike

At least 1,642 signatures from qualified voters in the city need to be collected for each petition for a recall election to be held for the targeted council member, said Michael Grix, the county's chief elections clerk.

He said the approved language is good for 180 days. Signatures are valid for 60 days back from the date when the signatures are turned in to the county.

Grix said the deadline for a recall election to appear on the May ballot is Feb. 1. A more likely time for a possible recall election, he said, is the November ballot.

Haus, a three-year resident of the city, told the Free Press that he hoped to replace the council members with "like-minded people who respect the people's vote."

The council's vote for the special assessment last year came after Fraser voters, including Haus, turned down public safety proposals at the polls in 2016 and 2017.

Kalka told the Free Press that she thought the recall effort was orchestrated to get everybody on the ballot at once this year.

"It's the perfect storm," Kalka said. "There are four (council members) up for re-election, including the mayor. If you recall, you can put everybody up in November. That's the way I see it. It's done this way by design."

Lesich, Kalka and Winowiecki were elected to four-year terms in 2017. The other three council members and the mayor have terms that expire this year, according to the city's website.

The assessment was to generate $3.6 million and would cost the average residential taxpayer about $450 more in property taxes, City Manager D. Wayne O'Neal told the Free Press in May.

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Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.