Most metro Detroit debates on regional taxes focus on mass transit — with leaders assuming Macomb County won't sign on.

On Tuesday, a state lawmaker from Macomb County issued a reminder that many voters in his district are equally skeptical about next month's millage for the Detroit Institute of Arts. And State Rep. Jeff Yaroch said he has a bill to address that.

Yaroch, R-Richmond, said voters in communities opposed to the so-called "arts tax" should have the right to "opt out." That is, the tax should be approved and levied on a community by community basis, Yaroch said.

A bill he introduced in December would let voters of any community in Macomb County, as well as those in Oakland and Wayne, request such an opt-out, even if his House Bill 5285 doesn't pass until after the March 10 election.

"Of course, I'm sure there'd be a legal challenge," contesting whether his bill could apply retroactively to the election's outcome, Yaroch said.

"Some people might be disappointed and look to the courts for a way out," he said. If the bill passed, it would be up to each community to decide whether to put the opt-out question on a future ballot, Yaroch said.

Endorsement:Vote yes to renew DIA millage in March 10 election

"We believe they could do that anytime before the DIA starts collecting this tax," he said.

A DIA spokeswoman said Tuesday night that collection for the tax, which is a renewal of the existing "arts tax," would not begin until 2023. Voters in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties approved the tax in 2012 as a 10-year millage. The DIA decided to seek the renewal next month, two years before the initial tax is to expire in 2022.

State law dictates that if a majority of voters within a county approve an art institute authority millage, residents in every community within that county must pay the tax. When the initial tax passed in 2012, nearly every one of the communities that Yaroch represents voted against it, he said. Yaroch's 33rd House District encompasses the townships of Armada, Lenox, Ray and Richmond, the majority of Macomb Township, the cities of Richmond and Memphis, and the villages of New Haven and Armada.

Overall, Macomb County voters narrowly approved the 10-year DIA millage in 2012.

Yaroch’s plan has been referred to the House Tax Policy Committee for consideration. In response to a Free Press inquiry about Yaroch's bill, a DIA spokeswoman said:

“The millage renewal will allow the DIA to continue providing important services to every community in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, including free field trips with free bus transportation, giving more than 80,000 students access to history and culture that can’t be found anywhere else.”

Contact: blaitner@frepress.com