TOWNSHIP BOARD MEETING ATTENDANCE

House Bill 5950 as introduced

Sponsor:  Rep. Steve Marino

Committee:  Local Government

Complete to 5-14-18

SUMMARY:

House Bill 5950 would amend chapter 16 of the Revised Statutes of 1860, relating to the election and duty of township officers.

The bill would add a new section to the statutes. It would allow a township board, by a vote of at least 2 members, to compel the attendance of board members and other officers of the township at a regular or special meeting and enforce orderly conduct in that meeting. A board member or other officer who refused to attend a meeting or conduct himself or herself in an orderly manner would be guilty of misconduct in office.

Proposed MCL 41.72c

FISCAL IMPACT:

House Bill 5950 would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on the state’s correctional system and on local court systems. Under the bill, a member of the board or any other officer of the township who refuses to attend a meeting or conduct himself or herself in an orderly manner would be guilty of misconduct in office. Misconduct in office by a public officer is considered a common law offense and is subject to provisions of MCL 750.505. Information is not available on the number of individuals that might be convicted under provisions of the bill, but new felony convictions would result in increased costs related to state prisons and state probation supervision. In fiscal year 2017, the average cost of prison incarceration in a state facility was roughly $37,000 per prisoner, a figure that includes various fixed administrative and operational costs. State costs for parole and felony probation supervision averaged about $3,600 per supervised offender in the same year. The fiscal impact on local court systems would depend on how provisions of the bill affected court caseloads and related administrative costs. Any increase in penal fine revenue would increase funding for local libraries, which are the constitutionally designated recipients of those revenues.   

                                                                                        Legislative Analyst:   Patrick Morris

                                                                                                Fiscal Analyst:   Robin Risko

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.