(1) Any county, city, township, or village may levy taxes and appropriate funds for operating centers open exclusively to youths under 21 years of age and aimed at curbing juvenile delinquency within the community.

    (2) A registered elector of a county, city, township, or village may submit petitions requesting that a unit of government submit the question of levying an ad valorem property tax of not to exceed 1.5 mills on taxable property within the unit for not to exceed 20 years for the operation of a youth center as described in subsection (1) to the electors of the unit at the next general election in the manner provided by law. Petitions that are filed pursuant to this subsection shall be filed not less than 120 days before the election at which the question is to be voted upon. The petitions shall be signed by a number of registered electors from the county, city, township, or village equal to not less than 5% of the total vote cast for all candidates for governor at the last preceding general election at which a governor was elected within the petitioning unit of local government. A tax authorized by this subsection shall be levied and collected in the same manner and at the same time as other ad valorem property taxes in the unit of local government.

    (3) A petition filed pursuant to subsection (2) shall be in substantial compliance with section 544c of the Michigan election law, Act No. 116 of the Public Acts of 1954, being section 168.544c of the Michigan Compiled Laws. The petition shall be filed with the clerk of the county, city, township, or village.

    (4) A determination of the sufficiency or insufficiency of a petition filed pursuant to subsection (2) shall be made not later than 60 days prior to the general election for which the petition was filed by the official receiving the petition. If the petition is determined to be sufficient, the ballot for the question shall be prepared by the official responsible for preparing the other ballots to be used at the general election. The ballot question shall specify the number of mills to be levied and the specific time period that this number of mills is to be levied.

    (5) The votes cast for and against the proposal shall be canvassed and certified by the canvassing board responsible for canvassing and certifying the votes cast for offices and other proposals voted on at the general election.