HOUSE BILL No. 5886

 

March 16, 2006, Introduced by Reps. Stakoe, Amos and Huizenga and referred to the Committee on Local Government and Urban Policy.

 

     A bill to amend 1959 PA 168, entitled

 

"An act to provide for township planning; for the creation,

organization, powers and duties of township planning commissions;

for the regulation and subdivision of land; and to prescribe

penalties and provide remedies,"

 

by amending sections 7b, 8, and 9 (MCL 125.327b, 125.328, and

 

125.329), section 7b as added and sections 8 and 9 as amended by

 

2001 PA 263.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 7b. (1) A plan may be adopted as a whole or by successive

 

parts corresponding with major geographical areas of the township

 

or with functional subject matter areas of the plan.

 

     (2) After preparing a proposed plan, the township planning

 

commission shall submit the proposed plan to the township board for

 


review and comment.

 

     (3) If the township board approves the distribution of the

 

proposed plan, it shall notify the secretary of the planning

 

commission and the secretary  of the township planning commission  

 

shall submit a copy of the proposed plan, for review and comment,

 

to all of the following:

 

     (a) The planning commission, or if there is no planning

 

commission, the legislative body, of each city, village, or

 

township located within or contiguous to the township.

 

     (b) The regional planning commission, if any, for the region

 

in which the township is located, if there is no county planning

 

commission for the county in which the township is located. If

 

there is a county planning commission for the county in which the

 

township is located, the secretary of the township planning

 

commission may submit a copy of the proposed plan to the regional

 

planning commission but is not required to do so.

 

     (c) The county planning commission, or if there is no county

 

planning commission, the county board of commissioners, for the

 

county in which the township is located. The secretary of the

 

township planning commission shall concurrently submit to the

 

county planning commission a statement that the requirements of

 

subdivision (a) have been met or, if there is no county planning

 

commission, shall submit to the county board of commissioners  ,  a

 

statement  , signed by the secretary,  that the requirements of

 

subdivisions (a) and (b) have been met. The statement shall be

 

signed by the secretary and shall include the name and address of

 

each planning commission or legislative body to which a copy of the

 


proposed plan was submitted under subdivision (a) or (b) and the

 

date of submittal.

 

     (d) Each public utility company and railroad company owning or

 

operating a public utility or railroad within the township, and any

 

government entity, that registers its name and address for this

 

purpose with the secretary of the township planning commission. An

 

entity that, pursuant to this subdivision, receives a copy of a

 

proposed plan, or of a plan as provided in section 8(5), shall

 

reimburse the township for any copying and postage costs thereby

 

incurred by the township.

 

     (4) An entity described in subsection  (3)(a), (b), or (d)  

 

(3) may submit comments on the proposed plan to the township

 

planning commission within 65 days after the proposed plan was

 

submitted to that entity under subsection (3).  A planning

 

commission or legislative body described in subsection (3)(a) or

 

(b) shall concurrently submit a copy of the comments to the county

 

planning commission, or if there is no county planning commission,

 

the county board of commissioners, for the county in which the

 

township proposing the plan is located.

 

     (5) Not less than 75 days or more than 95 days after the date

 

the proposed plan was submitted to the county planning commission

 

or the county board of commissioners under subsection (3),  If the

 

county planning commission or the county board of commissioners  ,

 

respectively, shall submit to the township planning commission its

 

comments on the proposed basic plan. The comments  that receives a

 

copy of the plan under subsection (3)(c) submits comments, the

 

comments shall include, but need not be limited to, both of the

 


following, as applicable:

 

     (a) A statement whether the county planning commission or

 

county board of commissioners  , after considering any comments

 

received under subsection (4),  considers the proposed plan to be

 

inconsistent with the plan of any city, village, township, or

 

region described in subsection (3)(a) or (b).

 

     (b) If the county has a county plan, a statement whether the

 

county planning commission considers the proposed basic plan to be

 

inconsistent with the county plan.

 

     (5)  (6)  The statements provided for in subsection  (5)(a) 

 

(4)(a) and (b) are advisory only.

 

     Sec. 8. (1) Before approving a proposed basic plan, the

 

township planning commission shall hold a public hearing on the

 

proposed plan. The hearing shall be held after the expiration of

 

the deadline for comment under section  7b(5)  7b(4). The township

 

planning commission shall publish notice of the hearing twice in a

 

newspaper of general circulation in the township. The first

 

publication shall be not more than 30 days or less than 20 days

 

before the date of the hearing. The second publication shall be not

 

more than 8 days before the date of the hearing.

 

     (2) At or after the hearing under subsection (1), the township

 

planning commission may approve the proposed plan by majority vote

 

of its membership. Following approval of the proposed plan by the

 

township planning commission, the secretary of the planning

 

commission shall submit a copy of the proposed plan to the township

 

board.

 

     (3) Approval of the plan by the planning commission under

 


subsection (2) is the final step for adoption of the plan, unless

 

the township board by resolution has asserted the right to approve

 

or reject the plan. In that case, after approval of the plan by the

 

planning commission, the township board shall approve or reject the

 

plan.

 

     (4) If the township board rejects the proposed plan, the

 

township board shall submit to the planning commission a statement

 

of its objections to the proposed plan. The planning commission

 

shall consider the township board's objections and revise the

 

proposed plan so as to address those objections. The procedures

 

provided in subsections (1) to (3) and this subsection shall be

 

repeated until a proposed plan is approved by the township board.

 

     (5) The plan is effective upon final adoption. Upon final

 

adoption of the plan, copies of the adopted plan shall be submitted

 

in the same manner as provided for submitting copies of the

 

proposed plan under section 7b(3).

 

     Sec. 9. (1) An extension, addition, revision, or other

 

amendment to a basic plan shall be adopted under the same procedure

 

as a plan or a successive part of a plan under sections 7a, 7b, and

 

8. However, for an amendment other than a revision of the plan,

 

both of the following apply:

 

     (a) The  the 65-day period otherwise provided for in section

 

7b(4) shall be 40 days.

 

     (b) The 75- to 95-day period otherwise provided for in section

 

7b(5) shall be 55 to 75 days.

 

     (2) At least every 5 years after adoption of the plan, the

 

planning commission shall review the plan and determine whether to

 


commence the procedure to amend the plan or adopt a new plan.

 

     (3) Until  1 year after the effective date of the 2001

 

amendments that added this subsection  January 9, 2003, a township

 

may adopt a plan or an extension, addition, revision, or other

 

amendment to a plan under the procedures provided for by this act

 

immediately before the effective date of the 2001 amendments that

 

added this subsection  that were in effect on January 8, 2003.

 

     (4) The planning commission shall promote public understanding

 

of and interest in the plan, shall publish and distribute copies of

 

the plan and of any report, and may employ such other means of

 

publicity and education as it determines necessary.