SMART bus tax stays on Wayne County ballot after judge tosses lawsuit
A Wayne County judge dealt a blow Monday to a group fighting to keep a proposed millage renewal and expansion of Wayne County's SMART bus service off the August ballot.
Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Kathleen M. McCarthy dismissed the case Monday, according to officials with the effort, known as Not SMART Wayne.
In a lawsuit filed last month, the group contended the Wayne County Transit Authority didn't give proper legal notice of a March 19 meeting where the body approved the ballot language, allegedly violating the Open Meetings Act. Not SMART Wayne also alleged that the ballot language itself is "misleading, prejudicial, and unlawful."
“We are disappointed with the judge’s ruling. The judge acknowledged that Wayne County did only the bare minimum when advertising this meeting, and even pointed out that they should probably establish a website," said Matthew J. Wilk, one of several Wayne County residents named as a plaintiff in the suit. "All of this underscores the fact that the average resident in Wayne County had no idea this meeting was taking place.”
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2026/06/01/judge-tosses-effort-to-remove-smart-bus-tax-from-wayne-county-ballot/90361117007/