Thursday, March 21, 2013
Birmingham needs to revise the City Charter after Michigan moved its filing deadlines for elections for the second time in three years.
It's barely spring but already the November general election is on the minds of Birmingham city leaders, who voted Monday night to place an amendment to the city's charter on the November ballot. The amendment wouldn't change much: according to City Clerk Laura Broski, Michigan recently changed its filing deadline to 15 weeks prior to an election, a law that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2014. That means Birmingham's City Charter has to be amended to adhere to state law, and according to a memo from Broski addressed to the Birmingham City Commission, "any changes to the charter must go before the voters." Birmingham has voted for something like this before. In 2010, Michigan moved the filing deadline to 12 weeks before an election, a change …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
City Manager Bob Bruner said despite the loss, he doesn't expect a similar amendment to go on the ballot any time soon.
The proposed amendment to the City Charter lost at the polls on Tuesday, however City Manager Bob Bruner said Wednesday that the city will continue to move forward. "While the Charter amendment would have made (buying and selling land) less expensive and time-consuming in the future, the city will continue to implement the Triangle District Master Plan and other public improvement plans as best it can," Bruner said Wednesday afternoon in a short statement. The amendment to the City Charter would have made it easier for the city to sell city-owned property at market value. According to the Birmingham City Charter, adopted in April 1933, the city can not sell property for more than $2 per capita, or $2 multiplied by the city's population as …
Friday, October 26, 2012
Before you head to the polls on Nov. 6, Patch is reminding you what's on the ballot in Michigan, Oakland County and Birmingham.
The Nov. 6 general election is a little more than a week away, and Patch is looking to help Birmingham residents prepare with a quick reminder of what's on the ballot and what they need to know before they vote. The November ballot promises to be a long one. Besides picking either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama for the Commander in Chief job, voters will decide on a slate of state proposals as well consider candidates for various levels of representation in Washington, Lansing and Pontiac. In addition, Birmingham voters will be deciding on a city charter amendment and voting for two members of the Birmingham Board of Education. Birmingham Patch has been covering this election all year, however sometimes you just need a quick refresher before …
Friday, October 19, 2012
Residents will vote on an amendment to the Birmingham City Charter that will make sales of city-owned properties easier.
Do you have questions about the proposed amendment to the Birmingham City Charter, an issue that will be on the local ballot this November? According to the city, there are a lot of questions out there and so to help answer them, they've launched a special website designed to answer those frequently asked questions. The charter amendment — which was approved by the Birmingham City Commission at its July 23 meeting — will update outdated restrictions for selling city-owned land and buildings, making it easier for Birmingham to buy and sell property. Still confused? Here's a quick primer on what the proposed Charter Amendment means to the city and to you. What does the city charter rules mean? What's the problem? What will the Charter …
Thursday, August 2, 2012
The proposed amendment to the City Charter would make it easier for Birmingham to sell city-owned properties, city manager says.
From picking a president to choosing a new state representative, Birmingham residents will have a lot to consider during the November general election. And now, residents will go to the ballot box to consider a proposed amendment to the Birmingham City Charter. At its meeting July 23, the Birmingham City Commission voted to place a charter amendment on the November ballot. The amendment would update outdated restrictions for selling city-owned land and buildings, making it easier for Birmingham to buy and sell property. According to the Birmingham City Charter, adopted in April 1933, the city can not sell property for more than $2 per capita, or $2 multiplied by the city's population as determined by the last U.S. census. The only way the …
Racer Boy
11:16 am on Thursday, November 8, 2012
Birmingham voting citizenry were either uniformed or very shortsighted in not approving this amendment. Pretty basic stuff. more ›