September 22, 2011, Introduced by Senators CASWELL and ROBERTSON and referred to the Committee on Local Government and Elections.
A bill to amend 1947 PA 359, entitled
"The charter township act,"
by amending section 3a (MCL 42.3a), as amended by 1984 PA 361.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec.
3a. (1) Within 30 days after the effective date of this
1984
amendatory act and after each regular or special federal or
state
census, the secretary of state shall notify the clerk of a
township
which is not incorporated as a charter township pursuant
to
this act and which has a population of 2,000 or more
inhabitants,
excluding the population of any incorporated village,
according
to the most recently made regular or special federal or
state
census that the township may be incorporated as the charter
township
of ............ under this act.
(1) (2)
After notification is received
by the clerk, the
official release of the federal decennial census figures for this
state, the township board of a township that is not incorporated as
a charter township under this act and that has a population of
2,000 or more inhabitants, excluding the population of any
incorporated village, according to the most recent federal
decennial census figures, may:
(a) Adopt, by a majority vote, a resolution opposed to
incorporation as a charter township.
(b) Adopt, by a majority vote, a resolution of intent to
approve incorporation as a charter township and if a petition of
disagreement to the intent resolution relative to the incorporation
as a charter township is filed within 60 days before final passage
of the resolution, the electors of the township have the right to a
referendum on the incorporation question.
(c) Adopt, by a majority vote, a resolution to place before
the electorate the question of incorporation as a charter township
at the next regular or special election.
(3)
The clerk shall publish in a newspaper of general
circulation
in the township a notice of the right to referendum
within
15 days after receipt of notification from the secretary of
state.
A second notice shall be published 7 days after the first
notice.
(2) (4)
The petition under subsection (2)(b)
(1)(b) shall be
signed by not less than 10% of the number of electors of the
township voting for township supervisor at the last election in
which a supervisor was elected. The township clerk shall check the
signatures on the petitions with those of the electors signing the
petitions as they appear on the registration cards of the township.
If petitions bearing the required number of signatures of electors
have been filed, the clerk shall do and perform all acts required
for the submission of the question of incorporation as a charter
township at the next general or special election. The wording of
the ballot shall be in accordance with section 2.