An Oxford Village man is on a mission to get at least 116 signatures so he and his fellow citizens can finally vote on cityhood.
‘Before the village spends anymore money on attorneys or elects some charter commission, they should find out what the residents want,? said township Supervisor Bill Dunn, who lives at 14 Dennison St.
Dunn is circulating a petition calling for a referendum on whether or not the process to incorporate the village as a home rule city should continue. ‘I welcome any help I can get circulating this petition,? he said. ‘The more signatures we get, the better.?
Those wishing to help Dunn circulate the petition can contact him at (248) 969-7482 or via e-mail at ranger810@yahoo.com.
Dunn has until Monday, April 14 to submit a valid petition to the state Boundary Commission containing at least 116 signatures (or 5 percent) from the village’s 2,310 registered voters.
‘I want to be clear ? just signing this petition is not saying, ‘Yes, I support cityhood? or ‘No, I’m against cityhood,?? Dunn explained. ‘All it’s doing is requesting a yes-or-no vote on whether the village should continue the process. All it’s doing is finally putting the issue on the ballot so people can vote on it.?
On Feb. 29, Keith W. Cooley, director of the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth, signed the order approving the village’s petition proposing its incorporation as a home rule city.
The order doesn’t become effective for 45 days, allowing residents time to petition for a referendum on the issue if they so desire.
If the referendum is held and voters say they don’t want the cityhood process to continue, Cooley’s order is ‘null and void? and incorporation proceedings are ‘terminated.?
If voters indicate they want the process to continue, it will, which means the election of a charter commission and future vote(s) on a proposed city charter.
Village President Chris Bishop indicated he plans to sign Dunn’s petition. ‘I am for not spending a bunch of money before we (have) a vote on whether people want it or not,? he said.
However, Bishop has reservations about holding an election concerning cityhood without a proposed charter for voters to review.
‘Because the charter hasn’t been created yet, you set yourself up for a lot of misinformation as to what a city will mean,? he said. ‘That’s the part of it that makes me nervous.?
A city ‘can only do whatever the charter says (it) can do,? Bishop noted.
Without a charter to place before voters, the village president’s concerned some people might be ‘misled with wild speculation as to what cityhood would mean for them.?
‘That’s the part of it that I find unfortunate about the process,? Bishop said.
This isn’t the first time Dunn’s circulated a petition seeking a vote on cityhood.
In 2005, he and some volunteers gathered 358 signatures on a petition to enact a local ordinance prohibiting village officials from spending anymore tax money on cityhood or taking any action in favor of incorporation unless authorized to do so by a vote of village residents.
That petition was ultimately denied by the village council for several legal reasons.
‘Council can’t stop this petition,? said Dunn, of his latest effort. ‘This is all governed by state law and the boundary commission. If enough people sign this petition, village residents will finally get to vote on cityhood. That’s all I want to see.?
Personally, Dunn said he opposes cityhood because he doesn’t believe it will lead to a cost-savings for village residents.
‘I’m not for (cityhood) at all, but if the voters say they want it, who am I to stand in the way?? he said. ‘But let’s find out what they want.?
Becoming a home rule city would mean the village would no longer be part of the charter township. As a result, village residents would no longer vote in township elections or pay the township’s 0.95-mill operating tax, which equals 95 cents for every $1,000 of a property taxable value.
As a home rule city, the former village would be obligated to assume and fund duties currently performed by the township government and paid for through the 0.95-mill tax.
Such duties would include assessing property for tax purposes, collecting taxes for the county and schools, and conducting county, school, state and national elections.
However, even if the village did incorporate as a city, residents would still be expected to keep paying certain township millages previously approved by voters ? such as those that support fire/ALS services and the township park and recreation department ? until they expired.
For instance, if parks and rec. gets its proposed 10-year millage renewal approved by township and village voters in August and the village becomes a city during that millage’s life, residents would be expected to continue paying the tax until it expired.
When asked about this at an April 2007 cityhood committee meeting, attorney Thomas Ryan, who was hired by the village to handle cityhood, replied, ‘The city cannot back away from the village’s obligations.?
Ryan reiterated that point at a May 2007 public hearing ? ‘Those millages were voted on by the taxpayers of the township and the village. They will continue.?
Because the library’s two operating millages were previously approved by township and village voters without expiration dates ? meaning they can be levied in perpetuity as long as there’s a library ? it appears city residents would continue paying those as well.