A recommendation to either approve or deny the Village of Oxford’s petition to break away from the township and incorporate as a city could be made at the state Boundary Commission’s Dec. 13 meeting in Lansing.
‘Pretty much that’s what the plan is, but with it so far out I would say it’s tentative,? said Boundary Commission Manager Christine Holmes. ‘Sometimes in December our meeting has a tendency to be canceled because of weather.?
Village and township officials were notified of the tentative meeting date via e-mail Oct. 18.
Holmes made it clear that the commission ‘doesn’t approve the village to be incorporated? as a city, it only makes a ‘recommendation to approve or deny the petition.?
Should the legal process continue, cityhood will ultimately be decided by village residents.
‘It’s a democratic process and they will have the opportunity to vote,? Holmes said.
If approval of the petition is recommended, the commission would adopt a ‘findings a fact? during a meeting a month or two later.
This document would be forwarded to the Keith Cooley, director of the Department of Labor and Economic Growth, who can either concur with the recommendation and sign an order allowing things to continue or deny it, thereby ending the process.
Once an order is signed by the director, it doesn’t become effective for 45 days during which time village residents can petition for referendum on cityhood featuring a ballot question asking voters a simple ‘yes? or ‘no? question ? shall the incorporation process continue?
In order to hold a referendum, a petition signed by at least 5 percent of the village’s registered electors must be submitted to the Boundary Commission to determine its legal sufficiency.
If the referendum petition is valid, the Boundary Commission will order an election to take place. If voters say ‘no? to referendum question, the incorporation process ends right there.
If they vote ‘yes,? the process continues and another election must be held to elect a nine-member commission to draft a city charter.
Should the director’s original signed order stand for 45 days with no petition for referendum, then once it becomes effective, village voters must still elect nine registered electors to a charter commission.
Either way the village must get a charter drafted and approved within two years to become a city.
‘That two-year clock starts ticking on the date of the order,? Holmes said.
During that ‘two-year window,? as Holmes put it, the commission has only two shots at getting a new city charter approved by voters.
If both charter elections fail, Oxford remains a home rule village.