HOUSE BILL No. 4857

 

June 18, 2003, Introduced by Reps. Meisner and Van Regenmorter and referred to the Committee on Criminal Justice.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1909 PA 279, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "The home rule city act,"                                                   

                                                                                

    by amending sections 3 and 4i (MCL 117.3 and 117.4i), section 3             

                                                                                

    as amended by 2002 PA 201 and section 4i as amended by 1999 PA              

                                                                                

    55.                                                                         

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 3.  Each city charter shall provide for all of the                     

                                                                                

2   following:                                                                  

                                                                                

3       (a) The election of a mayor, who shall be the chief executive               

                                                                                

4   officer of the city, and of a body vested with legislative power,           

                                                                                

5   and for the election or appointment of a clerk, a treasurer, an             

                                                                                

6   assessor or board of assessors, a board of review, and other                

                                                                                

7   officers considered necessary.  The city charter may provide for            

                                                                                

8   the selection of the mayor by the legislative body.  Elections              

                                                                                

9   may be by a partisan, nonpartisan, or preferential ballot, or by            

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   any other legal method of voting.  Notwithstanding any other law            

                                                                                

2   or charter provision to the contrary, a city having a 1970                  

                                                                                

3   official population of more than 150,000, whose charter provides            

                                                                                

4   for terms of office of less than 4 years, and in which the term             

                                                                                

5   of office for the mayor and the governing body are of the same              

                                                                                

6   length, may provide by ordinance for a term of office of up to 4            

                                                                                

7   years for mayor and other elected city officials.  The ordinance            

                                                                                

8   shall provide that the ordinance shall take effect 60 days after            

                                                                                

9   it is enacted unless within the 60 days a petition is submitted             

                                                                                

10  to the city clerk signed by not less than 10% of the registered             

                                                                                

11  electors of the city requesting that the question of approval of            

                                                                                

12  the ordinance be submitted to the electors at the next regular              

                                                                                

13  election or a special election called for the purpose of                    

                                                                                

14  approving or disapproving the ordinance.                                    

                                                                                

15      (b) The nomination of elective officers by partisan or                      

                                                                                

16  nonpartisan primary, by petition, or by convention.                         

                                                                                

17      (c) The time, manner, and means of holding elections and the                

                                                                                

18  registration of electors.                                                   

                                                                                

19      (d) The qualifications, duties, and compensation of the                     

                                                                                

20  city's officers.  If the city has an appointed chief                        

                                                                                

21  administrative officer, the legislative body of the city may                

                                                                                

22  enter into an employment contract with the chief administrative             

                                                                                

23  officer extending beyond the terms of the members of the                    

                                                                                

24  legislative body unless the employment contract is prohibited by            

                                                                                

25  the city charter.  An employment contract with a chief                      

                                                                                

26  administrative officer shall be in writing and shall specify the            

                                                                                

27  compensation to be paid to the chief administrative officer, any            


                                                                                

1   procedure for changing the compensation, any fringe benefits, and           

                                                                                

2   any other conditions of employment.  The contract shall state if            

                                                                                

3   the chief administrative officer serves at the pleasure of the              

                                                                                

4   legislative body, and the contract may provide for severance pay            

                                                                                

5   or other benefits in the event the chief administrative officer's           

                                                                                

6   employment is terminated at the pleasure of the legislative                 

                                                                                

7   body.                                                                       

                                                                                

8       (e) The establishment of 1 or more wards, and if the members                

                                                                                

9   of the city's legislative body are chosen by wards, for equal               

                                                                                

10  representation for each ward in the legislative body.                       

                                                                                

11      (f) That the subjects of taxation for municipal purposes are                

                                                                                

12  the same as for state, county, and school purposes under the                

                                                                                

13  general law.                                                                

                                                                                

14      (g) The annual laying and collecting taxes in a sum, except                 

                                                                                

15  as otherwise provided by law, not to exceed 2% of the taxable               

                                                                                

16  value of the real and personal property in the city.  Unless the            

                                                                                

17  charter provides for a different tax rate limitation, the                   

                                                                                

18  governing body of a city may levy and collect taxes for municipal           

                                                                                

19  purposes in a sum not to exceed 1% of the taxable value of the              

                                                                                

20  real and personal property in the city.  As used in this                    

                                                                                

21  subdivision, "taxable value" is that value determined under                 

                                                                                

22  section 27a of the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206,                   

                                                                                

23  MCL 211.27a.                                                                

                                                                                

24      (h) An annual appropriation of money for municipal purposes.                

                                                                                

25      (i) The levy, collection, and return of state, county, and                  

                                                                                

26  school taxes in conformance with the general laws of this state,            

                                                                                

27  except that the preparation of the assessment roll, the meeting             


                                                                                

1   of the board of review, and the confirmation of the assessment              

                                                                                

2   roll may be at the times provided in the city charter.                      

                                                                                

3       (j) The public peace and health and for the safety of persons               

                                                                                

4   and property.  In providing for the public peace, health, and               

                                                                                

5   safety, a city may expend funds or enter into contracts with a              

                                                                                

6   private organization, the federal or state government, a county,            

                                                                                

7   village, or township, or another city for services considered               

                                                                                

8   necessary by the legislative body.  Public peace, health, and               

                                                                                

9   safety services may include the operation of child guidance and             

                                                                                

10  community mental health clinics, the prevention, counseling, and            

                                                                                

11  treatment of developmental disabilities, the prevention of drug             

                                                                                

12  abuse, and the counseling and treatment of drug abusers.                    

                                                                                

13      (k) Adopting, continuing, amending, and repealing the city                  

                                                                                

14  ordinances and for the publication of each ordinance before it              

                                                                                

15  becomes operative.  Whether or not provided in its charter,                 

                                                                                

16  instead of publishing a true copy of an ordinance before it                 

                                                                                

17  becomes operative, the city may publish a summary of the                    

                                                                                

18  ordinance.  If the city publishes a summary of the ordinance, the           

                                                                                

19  city shall include in the publication the designation of a                  

                                                                                

20  location in the city where a true copy of the ordinance can be              

                                                                                

21  inspected or obtained.  Any charter provision to the contrary               

                                                                                

22  notwithstanding, a city may adopt an ordinance punishable by                

                                                                                

23  imprisonment for not more than 93 days or a fine  of not more               

                                                                                

24  than $500.00  consistent with state law, or both, if the                    

                                                                                

25  violation substantially corresponds to a violation of state law             

                                                                                

26  that is a misdemeanor for which the maximum period of                       

                                                                                

27  imprisonment is 93 days.  Whether or not provided in its charter,           


                                                                                

1   a city may adopt a provision of any state statute for which the             

                                                                                

2   maximum period of imprisonment is 93 days, the Michigan vehicle             

                                                                                

3   code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.1 to 257.923, or a law, code, or rule            

                                                                                

4   that has been promulgated and adopted by an authorized agency of            

                                                                                

5   this state pertaining to fire, fire hazards, fire prevention, or            

                                                                                

6   fire waste, and a fire prevention code, plumbing code, heating              

                                                                                

7   code, electrical code, building code, refrigeration machinery               

                                                                                

8   code, piping code, boiler code, boiler operation code, elevator             

                                                                                

9   machinery code, or a code pertaining to flammable liquids and               

                                                                                

10  gases or hazardous chemicals, that has been promulgated by this             

                                                                                

11  state, by a department, board, or other agency of this state, or            

                                                                                

12  by an organization or association that is organized and conducted           

                                                                                

13  for the purpose of developing the code, by reference to the law,            

                                                                                

14  code, or rule in an adopting ordinance and without publishing the           

                                                                                

15  law, code, or rule in full.  The law, code, or rule shall be                

                                                                                

16  clearly identified in the ordinance and its purpose shall be                

                                                                                

17  published with the adopting ordinance.  Printed copies of the               

                                                                                

18  law, code, or rule shall be kept in the office of the city clerk,           

                                                                                

19  available for inspection by, and distribution to, the public at             

                                                                                

20  all times.  The publication shall contain a notice stating that a           

                                                                                

21  complete copy of the law, code, or rule is made available to the            

                                                                                

22  public at the office of the city clerk in compliance with state             

                                                                                

23  law requiring that records of public bodies be made available to            

                                                                                

24  the general public.  A city shall not enforce any provision                 

                                                                                

25  adopted by reference for which the maximum period of imprisonment           

                                                                                

26  is greater than 93 days.                                                    

                                                                                

27                                                                               (l) That the business of the legislative body shall be                              


                                                                                

1   conducted at a public meeting held in compliance with the open              

                                                                                

2   meetings act, 1976 PA 267, MCL 15.261 to 15.275.  All records of            

                                                                                

3   the municipality shall be made available to the general public in           

                                                                                

4   compliance with the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442,                

                                                                                

5   MCL 15.231 to 15.246.                                                       

                                                                                

6       (m) Keeping in the English language a written or printed                    

                                                                                

7   journal of each session of the legislative body.                            

                                                                                

8       (n) A system of accounts that conforms to a uniform system of               

                                                                                

9   accounts as required by law.                                                

                                                                                

10      Sec. 4i.  Each city may provide in its charter for 1 or more                

                                                                                

11  of the following:                                                           

                                                                                

12      (a) Laying and collecting rents, tolls, and excises.                        

                                                                                

13      (b) Regulating and restricting the locations of oil and                     

                                                                                

14  gasoline stations.                                                          

                                                                                

15      (c) The establishment of districts or zones within which the                

                                                                                

16  use of land and structures, the height, area, size, and location            

                                                                                

17  of buildings, the required open spaces for light and ventilation            

                                                                                

18  of buildings, and the density of population may be regulated by             

                                                                                

19  ordinance.  The zoning ordinance provisions applicable to 1 or              

                                                                                

20  more districts may differ from those applicable to other                    

                                                                                

21  districts.  If a city is incorporated, or if territory is annexed           

                                                                                

22  to a city incorporated under this act, the zoning ordinance                 

                                                                                

23  provisions applicable to the territory within the newly                     

                                                                                

24  incorporated city or the annexed territory shall remain in effect           

                                                                                

25  for 2 years after the incorporation or annexation unless the                

                                                                                

26  legislative body of the city lawfully adopts other zoning                   

                                                                                

27  ordinance provisions.                                                       


                                                                                

1       (d) The regulation of trades, occupations, and amusements                   

                                                                                

2   within city boundaries, if the regulations are not inconsistent             

                                                                                

3   with state or federal law, and the prohibition of trades,                   

                                                                                

4   occupations, and amusements that are detrimental to the health,             

                                                                                

5   morals, or welfare of the inhabitants of that city.                         

                                                                                

6       (e) The regulation or prohibition of public nudity within                   

                                                                                

7   city boundaries.  As used in this subdivision, "public nudity"              

                                                                                

8   means knowingly or intentionally displaying in a public place, or           

                                                                                

9   for payment or promise of payment by any person including, but              

                                                                                

10  not limited to, payment or promise of payment of an admission               

                                                                                

11  fee, any individual's genitals or anus with less than a fully               

                                                                                

12  opaque covering or a female individual's breast with less than a            

                                                                                

13  fully opaque covering of the nipple and areola.  Public nudity              

                                                                                

14  does not include any of the following:                                      

                                                                                

15                                                                               (i) A woman's breastfeeding of a baby whether or not the                            

                                                                                

16  nipple or areola is exposed during or incidental to the feeding.            

                                                                                

17      (ii) Material as defined in section 2 of 1984 PA 343,                        

                                                                                

18  MCL 752.362.                                                                

                                                                                

19      (iii) Sexually explicit visual material as defined in section                

                                                                                

20  3 of 1978 PA 33, MCL 722.673.                                               

                                                                                

21      (f) Licensing, regulating, restricting, and limiting the                    

                                                                                

22  number and locations of billboards within the city.                         

                                                                                

23      (g) The initiative and referendum on all matters within the                 

                                                                                

24  scope of the powers of that city and the recall of city                     

                                                                                

25  officials.                                                                  

                                                                                

26      (h) A system of civil service for city employees, including                 

                                                                                

27  employees of that city's board of health, and employees of any              


                                                                                

1   jail operated or maintained by the city.  Charter provisions                

                                                                                

2   providing for a system of civil service for employees of a local            

                                                                                

3   health board are valid and effective.                                       

                                                                                

4       (i) A system of compensation for city employees and the                     

                                                                                

5   dependents of city employees in the case of disability, injury,             

                                                                                

6   or death of city employees.                                                 

                                                                                

7       (j) The enforcement of police, sanitary, and other ordinances               

                                                                                

8   that are not in conflict with the general laws.                             

                                                                                

9       (k) The punishment of persons who violate city ordinances                   

                                                                                

10  other than ordinances described in section 4l.  The penalty for a           

                                                                                

11  violation of such a city ordinance shall not exceed a fine of               

                                                                                

12  $500.00 or imprisonment for 90 days, or both.  However, unless              

                                                                                

13  otherwise provided by law, the ordinance may provide that a                 

                                                                                

14  violation of the ordinance is punishable by imprisonment for not            

                                                                                

15  more than 93 days or a fine  of not more than $500.00  consistent           

                                                                                

16  with state law, or both, if the violation substantially                     

                                                                                

17  corresponds to a violation of state law that is a misdemeanor for           

                                                                                

18  which the maximum period of imprisonment is 93 days.