Municipalities: Is it Time for a Change

1
Municipalities Is it Time for a Change?
2
Types of Municipalities

• County
• Originally created with the establishment of the
  Michigan Territory
• Authority to provide services such as record
  keeping (e.g., property and vital statistics),
  maintenance of rural roads, and administration of
  election and judicial functions
• 83 in Michigan

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Important Events in Michigan Local Government
Development

• Land Ordinance of 1785
• Land was surveyed and
• divided into six mile by six mile squares.

4
Types of Municipalities

• Township
• Defining example of republican form of governance
• Authority to provide local services such as
  assessment administration, elections
  administration and tax collection
• 1,242 in Michigan

5
Important Events in Michigan Local Government
Development

• Township Act of 1836
• Townships, six miles by
• six miles square, were
• organized into
• governmental units.

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Types of Municipalities

• Village
• Incorporated to establish local regulatory
  ordinances, although still part of the township
• Authority to provide local services such as law
  enforcement, fire protection, water and sewage
  service.
• 261 in Michigan

7
Important Events in Michigan Local Government
Development

• Michigan Constitution of 1850
• Villages and cities can
• become incorporated by
• the state legislature.

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Types of Municipalities

• Cities
• Formed out a need for desired services in a
  densely developed area
• Authority to provide local services such as law
  enforcement, fire protection, water and sewage
  service, and other public works
• 272 in Michigan

9
Important Events in Michigan Local Government
Development

• Michigan Constitution of 1908
• Local voters can revise
• or amend a charter of
• incorporation.

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The Process of Changing through Incorporation

• Townships
• Townships were originally incorporated by general
  law
• Charter townships have met the criteria of a
  population threshold of 2,000 people

11
Important Events in Michigan Local Government
Development

• Charter Township Act of 1947
• Two methods for decision
• Township board decision can be voted upon
  through a referendum
• Petition signed by not less than 100 registered
  electors
• 130 townships have adopted charter status

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The Process of Changing through Incorporation

• Villages
• Villages were originally incorporated by general
  law
• Home Rule villages must provide for the election
  of a president, clerk, and a legislative body

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Important Events in Michigan Local Government
Development

• Home Rule Village Act of 1909
• Two thresholds for petition
• For an existing village(s), 1 of population, no
  less than 100
• For a new village, 20 qualified electors who are
  residing within the territory proposed
• territory must contains not less than 150
  inhabitants and an average of not less than
  100 inhabitants per square mile.

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The Process of Changing through Incorporation

• Cities
• Cities were originally incorporated from villages
  of 3,000 or more people
• All of Michigans cities are Home Rule, adopting
  a charter after a vote by voters within a
  geographic district

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Important Events in Michigan Local Government
Development

• City Rule Village Act of 1909
• petition must have signatures of not
  less than 1 of the population
• must describe the proposed boundaries not
  less than 2,000 inhabitants and an
  average of not less than
  500 inhabitants per square mile