HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Charter 2025 Cityof Lansing
City Charter
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The Charter of the City of Lansing was adopted by the voters of Lansing on November
4, 2025.
Prepared by:
Lansing City Clerk's Office
Chris Swope, City Clerk
2-201 Time of Elections .......................... 6
Contents
2-202 Non-Partisan Ballot....................... 6
Chapter 1. GOVERNMENT........................ 1
2-203 Wards........................................... 6
1-101 Establishment of Government....... 1
2-204 Method of Nomination ...................7
1-102 Boundaries................................... 1
2-205 Election Commission.....................7
Chapter 2. INTERPRETATION OF
2-206 State Law to Apply........................7
CHARTER................................................. 1
1 201 Powers of The City 1 Chapter 3. VACANCIES .............................7
1 202 Liberal Construction 1 2-301 Absence from Office......................7
1 203 Severabilit 1 2-302 Forfeiture and Removal For Cause 8
1-204 Article, Chapter and Section 2-303 Filling Vacancies ........................... 8
Headings................................................ 1 2-304 Temporary Absence of Mayor........ 8
1-205 Definitions .................................... 1 Chapter 4. BALLOT ISSUES ......................9
Chapter 3. RIGHTS OF PUBLIC ................ 3 2-401 Recall ...........................................9
1-301 City Records to be Public.............. 3 2-402 Initiative and Referendum .............9
1-302 Non-Discrimination and Civil Rights 2-403 Petitions for Initiative and
.............................................................. 3 Referendum............................................9
Chapter 4. GOVERNMENTAL 2-404 Suspension of Referred Ordinance 9
COOPERATION ........................................ 3 2-405 Council Action On Petitions
1-401 Intergovernmental Cooperation..... 3 2-406 Special Elections 10
1-402 Intergovernmental Services and 2-407 Submission by Council................ 10
Agreements............................................ 4
1-403 Judiciary....................................... 4 2-408 Determining Result of Election .... 10
2-409 Amendment, Repeal and
Chapter 5. PENALTIES.............................. 4 Reenactment 10
........................................
1-501 Penalties for Violation of Charter... 4 2-410 Charter Revision Question .......... 11
ARTICLE 2 — OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS.. 5 2-411 Charter Amendments .................. 11
Chapter 1. OFFICERS ............................... 5 ARTICLE 3 — LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
2-101 Elective Officers............................ 5 Chapter 1. STRUCTURE.......................... 12
2-102 Qualifications For Elective Office... 5 3-101 City Council 12
2-103 Ineligibility For Office..................... 5 3-102 Organization of Council 12
2-104 Compensation of Officers.............. 5 3-103 Rules 12
..........................................
2-105 Bonds of Officers .......................... 6 3-104 Maintenance of Order 12
.................
2-106 Oath of Office ............................... 6 Chapter 2. MEETINGS OF COUNCIL....... 13
Chapter 2. ELECTION OF OFFICERS ....... 6
3-201 Meetings..................................... 13 4-305 Parks and Recreation Department
3-202 Special Meetings 13 ............................................................. 21
3-203 Quorum 13 4-306 Economic Development and
......................................
Planning Department............................ 21
3-204 Attendance at Meetings .............. 13
4-307 Police Department ...................... 21
3-205 Voting......................................... 13
4-308 Public Service Department.......... 22
3-206 Investigations ............................. 14
Chapter 4. DEPARTMENT AND AGENCY
3-207 Rights and Responsibilities of
HEADS .................................................... 22
Council Members ................................. 14
4-401 Heads Of Departments ............... 22
Chapter 3. LEGISLATION ........................ 14
4-402 Heads of Agencies...................... 22
3-301 City Action Requiring an Ordinance
............................................................ 14 Chapter 5. CLERK ................................... 23
3-302 Introduction of Ordinances.......... 14 4-501 City Clerk.................................... 23
3-303 Public Hearing on Ordinance ...... 15 4-502 Chief Deputy City Clerk............... 23
3-304 Publication After Enactment........ 15 ARTICLE 5 — BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
................................................................... 24
3-305 Veto............................................ 15
Chapter 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS FOR
3-306 Effective Date of Ordinance ........ 15 BOARDS ................................................. 24
3-307 Emergency Ordinances .............. 16 5-101 Citizen Involvement in Government
3-308 Codification Of Ordinances ......... 16 ............................................................• 24
3-309 Public Peace, Health and Safety. 16 5-102 Types of Boards.......................... 24
Chapter 4. COUNCIL STAFF.................... 16 5-103 Appointment of Board Members .. 24
3-401 Council Staff............................... 16 5-104 Ineligibility for Boards.................. 25
ARTICLE 4 — EXECUTIVE BRANCH........... 17 5-105 Organization of Boards - Rules of
Chapter 1 MAYOR 17 Procedure............................................. 25
4-101 Mayor......................................... 17
5-106 Advisory Board Functions............ 26
4-102 Obligations of Leadership 17 5-107 Continuation Of Existing Boards.. 27
Chapter 2. EXECUTIVE STAFF ............... 18 5-108 Limitation On Powers Of Boards . 27
4-201 Deputy to The Mayor .................. 18
Chapter 2. BOARD OF WATER AND LIGHT
................................................................ 27
Chapter 3. DEPARTMENTS..................... 19
5-201 Board of Water and Light............. 27
4-301 Organization of Departments ...... 19 5-202 General Manager, Internal Auditor,
4-302 Finance Department ................... 19 Secretary.............................................. 27
4-303 Fire Department.......................... 19 5-203 Powers of the Board ................... 28
4-304 Office of the City Attorney ........... 20 5-204 Withdrawal of Funds 28
...................
5-205 Rates ......................................... 29 Chapter 1. BUDGET................................. 37
5-206 Collection And Hearing Procedure29 7-101 Submission Of Budget ................ 37
5-207 Sale or Exchange of Facilities..... 29 7-102 Council Budget Priorities............. 37
Chapter 3. BOARD OF POLICE 7-103 Budget Message......................... 37
COMMISSIONERS.................................. 30 7-104 Budget Hearin 37
5-301 Duties......................................... 30 7-105 Adoption of Budget Resolution .... 38
5-302 Investigatory Power.................... 30 7-106 Item Veto 38
....................................
Chapter 4. BOARD OF FIRE 7-107 Effect of Appropriation................. 38
COMMISSIONERS.................................. 30
5-401 Duties......................................... 30 7-108 Supplemental Appropriations....... 38
CHAPTER 5. BOARD OF ETHICS........... 31 7-109 Capital Improvements Plan ......... 38
5-501 Standards of Conduct................. 31 7-110 Control of Expenditures............... 39
5-502 Membership................................ 31 7-111 Uniform System of Accounts........ 39
5-503 Duties......................................... 32 Chapter 2. TAXATION .............................. 39
5-504 Protection of Public Interest ........ 33 7-201 Power to Tax; Tax Limit ............... 39
5-505 Conflict Of Interest...................... 33 7-202 Subjects of Taxation.................... 39
Chapter 6. PLANNING COMMISSION ..... 34 7-203 Exemptions................................. 39
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5-601 Planning Commission ................. 34 -204 Duties of the City Assessor.......... 39
7-205 Board of Review ......................... 40
5-602 Powers and Duties...................... 34
7-206 Taxes Become Lien..................... 40
ARTICLE 6 — CITY EMPLOYEES................ 35
Chapter 1 MERIT SYSTEM 35 7-207 State, City, County, School and
p """"""""""' Community College Taxes..................... 40
6-101 Personnel Merit System.............. 35 7-208 Collection of Taxes 40
......................
6-102 Administration of Personnel Merit 7-209 Delinquent Tax Collection Procedure
System................................................. 35
Chapter 2. LABOR RELATIONS............... 35 Chapter 3. BORROWING......................... 41
6-201 Labor Management Activities ...... 35 7-301 General Borrowing Power........... 41
Chapter 3. PROHIBITION AGAINST 7-302 Limitations on Borrowing 41
DISCRIMINATION ................................... 35
7-303 Use of Borrowed Funds............... 41
6-301 Non-Discrimination ..................... 35
Chapter 4. EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS 36 7-304 Execution of Obligations.............. 42
6-401 Limitation on Employment Contracts
7-305 Special Assessment Bonds ......... 42
............................................................ 36 Chapter 4. SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS...... 42
ARTICLE 7 — TAXATION AND FINANCE ..... 37 7-401 Power to Assess ......................... 42
7-402 Procedure Ordinance.................. 42 8-303 Rates.......................................... 49
7-403 Additional Assessments .............. 43 8-304 Collection of Municipal Utility
7-404 Contest of Assessments.............. 43 Charges ............................................... 49
7-405 Lien and Collection of Special Chapter 4. PROPERTY............................ 49
Assessments........................................ 43 8-401 Purchases of Personal Property and
7-406 Postponement of Payments Services ............................................... 49
7-407 Special Assessment Accounts..... 43 8-402 Sales of Personal Property.......... 49
7-408 All Property Liable for Special 8-403 Purchase and Sale of Real Property
Assessment ......................................... 44 ............................................................. 50
Chapter 5. TRANSPARENCY................... 44 ARTICLE 9 — TRANSITION ......................... 51
7-501 Publication of City Taxes and Debt Chapter 1. CONTINUITY OF OFFICERS.. 51
Obligations........................................... 44 9-101 Status of Officers ........................ 51
Chapter 6. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL 9-102 Compensation of Officers............ 51
AUDITS ................................................... 44 Chapter 2. CONTINUITY OF RIGHTS AND
7-601 Office of the Independent Internal LEGISLATION.......................................... 51
Auditor ................................................. 44 9-201 Existing City Legislation and Rules
7-602 Powers and Duties...................... 45 ............................................................. 51
7-603 Limitations.................................. 46 9-202 Vested Rights And Liabilities ....... 51
7-604 External Audit............................. 46 9-203 Pensions..................................... 51
ARTICLE 8 — REGULATORY POWERS AND 9-204 Changes of Time Schedules........ 51
CONTRACTS.............................................. 47 9-205 Council Action on Transition
Chapter 1. LICENSING ............................ 47 Chapter 3. COMMENCEMENT OF NEW
8-101 Regulatory Power....................... 47 CHARTER ............................................... 52
8-102 Issuance of Licenses .................. 47 9-301 Effective Date of This Charter...... 52
Chapter 2. FRANCHISES ........................ 47 9-302 Apportionment of Five Wards ...... 52
8-201 Limitations on Franchise............. 47 9-303 Election Transition Plan................. 52
8-202 Standard Provisions of Public Utility Chapter 4. ADOPTION OF CHARTER...... 52
Franchise ............................................. 47 9-401 Submission of Charter to Electorate
Chapter 3. PUBLIC UTILITIES ................. 48 ............................................................. 52
8-301 Public Utility Services of City....... 48 9-402 Form of Question ........................ 52
8-302 Disposal of Municipal Utility Plants
andProperty......................................... 48
ARTICLE 1 — GENERAL
Chapter 1 . GOVERNMENT
1-101 Establishment of Government
The people of the City of Lansing, by adoption of this home rule Charter, create and continue a body
corporate known as the "City of Lansing" and provide for continuing control of their municipal
corporation.
1-102 Boundaries
The boundaries of the City existing when this Charter takes effect continue in effect until changed in
accordance with law.
Chapter 2. INTERPRETATION OF CHARTER
1-201 Powers of The City
The City has the comprehensive home rule power conferred upon it by the Michigan Constitution,
subject only to the limitations on the exercise of that power contained in the Constitution or this
Charter or imposed by statute. The City also has all other powers, which a city may possess under
the Constitution and laws of this State.
1-202 Liberal Construction
The powers of the City under this Charter shall be construed liberally in favor of the City. The specific
mention of particular powers in the Charter shall not be construed as limiting in any way the powers of
the City as stated in Section 1-201.
1-203 Severability
If any provision of this Charter or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid,
the invalidity shall not affect other provisions of applications of the Charter.
1-204 Article, Chapter and Section Headings
The article, chapter and section headings and catch lines used in this Charter are for convenience
only and shall not add or subtract from the meaning of the words of this Charter.
1-205 Definitions
The definitions provided in this section shall control the interpretation of the defined words when used
in this Charter unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
AGENCY means any board, commission, department, division, office or other organization of City
government and includes any elective officer, appointee, or person acting or purporting to act in the
exercise of official duties.
AGENCY OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH means those instrumentalities of government under the
direction of the Mayor in Article 4 of this Charter and does not refer to any elected officer.
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BOARD means a group of persons organized for governmental purpose and includes commissions
and committees.
DEFAULT TO THE CITY means the omission or failure to timely perform a legal or contractual duty
owed to the City of Lansing. This includes, but is not limited to, failure to pay any monetary obligation,
including taxes, fees, or fines. Default to the City includes failure to pay property taxes for property
located in the City, regardless whether the tax liability is owed to the City or the County.
ELECTORS means persons registered to vote in the City. Percentages of electors shall be
determined as of the most recent election.
FRANCHISE means the grant of a right by the City pursuant to law. The Board of Water and Light as
a permanent agency of Lansing City Government is not the recipient of a franchise of the City of
Lansing.
INQUIRY means a request for information. There is no intention in this Charter to distinguish between
inquiries made by City officials and inquiries made by private citizens.
LAW refers to principles of conduct, which must be obeyed. There is no intention in this Charter to
distinguish among those jurisdictions with power to declare the law unless specific reference is made
to federal law, state law, or local law. There is no intention to limit the meaning of LAW to those laws
in effect on the effective date of the Charter.
MEMBERS ELECTED means that all seats are counted in determining an ordinary or extraordinary
majority.
MEMBERS PRESENT means that neither vacant seats nor seats of absent members are counted in
determining an ordinary or extraordinary majority.
MEMBERS SERVING means that seats of absent members are counted in determining an ordinary
or extraordinary majority, but vacant seats are not counted.
OFFICER includes, but is not limited to, the elected officials of the City, the members of boards and
commissions, and their executive staffs, all heads of departments and divisions.
ORDINANCE means a local law enacted by the legislative body of the City of Lansing either prior to
the effective date of this Charter or subsequently.
PERSON means a human being regarded as an individual and artificial entities recognized as
persons by state law.
PUBLISH means making something public in the manner stated in or authorized by this Charter or
law, or if no direction is given in this Charter, by posting to the City's website and by any means
determined by the City to achieve widespread dissemination to the general public in the City to inform
on matters of municipal concerns.
SECTION means the basic unit of this Charter. RELATED SECTIONS are grouped into CHAPTERS.
RELATED CHAPTERS are grouped into nine ARTICLES.
STATUTE means a Public Act of the State of Michigan as it exists at the time the provision containing
the word STATUTE is to be applied.
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VOTERS means ELECTORS.
Chapter 3. RIGHTS OF PUBLIC
1-301 City Records to be Public
.1 All records of the City shall be public, in accordance with state law, and shall be kept in City offices,
except when required for official reasons to be elsewhere, and shall be available pursuant to law.
.2 No person shall dispose of, mutilate, or destroy any records of the City, except as provided by law.
1-302 Non-Discrimination and Civil Rights
.1 It is the intent of the City that no person or group be denied the equal protection of the laws; nor
shall any person be denied the enjoyment of their civil rights or be discriminated against because of
their actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, height, weight, marital status,
physical or mental disability, family status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,
pregnancy, breastfeeding a child or expressing human milk, veteran status, medical condition
including genetic characteristics, HIV status, source of income, ancestry, student status, housing
status, political affiliation or belief, service in armed forces in sovereign nations, linguistic
characteristics such as accent or limited English, English proficiency, or other characteristic as
defined by law, or any other basis prohibited by law, including any additional protections identified by
law, as all forms of discrimination adversely affect Lansing citizens and the quality of life and
opportunities available to all people.
.2 The City and all its agencies shall ensure that the civil and constitutional rights of all persons are
not denied or abridged.
.3 The City shall take such action, and shall adopt such ordinances, as shall be necessary to
accomplish the purpose of this section.
Chapter 4. GOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION
1-401 Intergovernmental Cooperation
.1 The City shall, whenever it is feasible and beneficial, adopt a cooperative intergovernmental
approach to the solution of urban problems. For this purpose the City shall have the power to join with
any unit of government whether local, state or federal, or with any number or combination thereof, by
contract or otherwise, as may be permitted by law, in the financing, ownership, operation or
performance, jointly or by one or more on behalf of all, of any property, facility or service which each
would have the power to own, operate or perform separately.
.2 The City may participate in organizations, both governmental and non-governmental in or beyond
the corporate limits of the City. The participation of the City in those organizations is not subject to the
limitations of this Charter. The City shall endeavor to secure the application of the principle of one
person, one vote in any regional body. The City appointees to such organization shall file a report on
their activities with the Mayor and City Council at least once a year.
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1-402 Intergovernmental Services and Agreements
.1 In addition to other services the City shall have the authority to extend police and fire protection to
property owned by any unit of government.
.2 The City may enter into any agreement or contract with any unit of government providing for the
availability of police or fire services or for the compensation of the City for police or fire services.
1-403 Judiciary
Judicial authority shall be organized and exercised pursuant to state law.
Chapter 5. PENALTIES
1-501 Penalties for Violation of Charter
Any person found guilty of an act constituting a violation of this Charter may be punished by a fine not
exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment for not to exceed ninety (90) days, or
both, in the discretion of the court. This section shall not operate to limit or prejudice the power to
remove officers or discharge employees as provided in this Charter.
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ARTICLE 2 - OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS
Chapter 1 . OFFICERS
2-101 Elective Officers
.1 The elective officers shall be the Mayor, nine (9) members of the City Council, and the City Clerk.
.2 The term of every elective city officer is four (4) years and commences at noon on January 1 st after
the regular city general election.
.3 Membership of the City Council shall be comprised of one member elected from each ward and
four members elected at large.
2-102 Qualifications For Elective Office
A person seeking elective office must be a citizen of the United States, a resident, and a qualified and
registered voter of the City of Lansing for one (1) year by the deadline for filing for office and retain
that status throughout their tenure in any such elective office. In addition, a ward Council member
shall be a resident of the ward from which elected or chosen for one (1) year by the deadline for filing
for office, and retain that status throughout their tenure as a ward Council member.
2-103 Ineligibility For Office
.1 A person is ineligible for election or appointment as any elective officer and ineligible to hold an
employment position within the City that is policy-making or that has discretionary authority over
public assets if, within the immediately preceding twenty (20) years, the person was convicted of a
felony involving dishonesty, deceit, fraud, or a breach of the public trust and the conviction was
related to the person's official capacity while the person was holding any elective office or position of
employment in local, state, or federal government.
.2 No person who is in default to the City shall be eligible to hold any City office, unless such default
is eliminated within fifteen (15) days after written notice thereof by the City Clerk. No person seeking
elective office shall be in default to the City at the time such person files for office or any time
thereafter during the person's candidacy or term of office. Any officer in default to the City during the
term of office is subject to forfeiture or dismissal. The City shall develop, through ordinance, such
procedures to ensure that the provisions of this section continue to be met during an officer's term in
office.
.3 A person who holds or has held any elective City office shall not be eligible for appointment to a
non-elective office or employment for which compensation is paid by or through any agency of the
City until the person has been out of office for one year.
2-104 Compensation of Officers
.1 The City shall, by ordinance, determine the compensation or the procedure for determining the
compensation of all officers and employees of the City.
.2 The elected officers compensation commission previously created by ordinance may continue to
determine the compensation of all elected officials after the effective date of this Charter. The
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compensation commission ordinance shall be amended to provide a procedure for calling the
compensation commission together at a time to be determined by the City Council.
.3 The City may, by ordinance, at any time alter any procedure for determining compensation of any
officers or employees.
2-105 Bonds of Officers
.1 All officers and employees who receive, distribute or are responsible for City funds, shall be
bonded in the sum determined by the City Council
.2 The City Council may require bonds from other officers and employees.
.3 All bonds shall be approved by the City Attorney and filed with the City Clerk.
2-106 Oath of Office
Every elective officer and every appointee before entering on official duties shall take and subscribe
the following oath: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United
States and the Constitution of this State and that I will faithfully discharge the office of
, according to the best of my ability," and shall file that oath, duly certified by the
officer before whom it was taken, in the office of the City Clerk.
Chapter 2. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
2-201 Time of Elections
The primary and general elections for all City offices shall be at the time provided by state law.
2-202 Non-Partisan Ballot
The Clerk shall prepare ballots which shall conform to the provisions of law. No party vignette or
emblem or other designation shall appear on the ballot in regard to City officers.
2-203 Wards
.1 The City of Lansing shall be divided into five (5) wards, from each of which a member of the City
Council shall be nominated and elected.
.2 Each ward shall have the same boundaries as shall exist on the effective date of this Charter until
changed in accord with law.
.3 The Election Commission shall revise the boundaries of the wards within 60 days after the figures
from the Federal decennial census becomes available. The City Council shall approve and file the
apportionment plan in accord with state law. New ward boundaries created within 120 days of a City
primary election shall become effective after the general election.
.4 The Election Commission shall, to the greatest extent possible, establish wards that are compact,
contiguous and of equal population.
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2-204 Method of Nomination
.1 The method of nomination for all elective offices in the City shall be by petition, or by a candidate
submitting a filing fee. A primary election shall be held on those occasions when the number of
persons submitting valid nominating petitions or filing fees exceeds twice the number of positions to
be filled in the office.
.2 Nominating petitions submitted by candidates for offices to be filled by voters of a ward shall be
signed by at least one hundred (100), but no more than one hundred fifty (150), of the persons
registered to vote in the ward in which the election is to be held.
.3 Nominating petitions submitted by candidates for offices to be filled by the voters of the City at
large shall be signed by at least four hundred (400), but no more than six hundred (600) of the
registered electors of the City.
.4 In lieu of submitting nominating petitions, a candidate may nominate himself or herself for City
office by submitting a filing fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00). The filing fee shall be
nonrefundable.
.5 The City Clerk shall assist members of the public by providing information regarding the
requirements for candidacy, and in the preparation of petitions.
.6 Neither nominating petitions, nor filing fees shall be accepted unless accompanied by an affidavit
sworn to or affirmed by the candidate, stating that the candidate possesses the legal qualifications for
the office and requesting that the candidate's name be printed on the ballot.
2-205 Election Commission
.1 The conduct of City elections shall be the responsibility of the Election Commission consisting of
the City Clerk, the City Attorney and the Assessor. The City Clerk shall preside.
.2 The Election Commission shall prescribe the procedures to be followed in the conduct of City
elections in accord with state law.
2-206 State Law to Apply
The general election laws of the state as supplemented by the provisions of this Charter and relevant
ordinances shall apply to the qualifications and registration of voters, the filing for office by
candidates, and the conduct and canvass of City elections.
Chapter 3. VACANCIES
2-301 Absence from Office
Whenever an elective officer of the City has failed to perform the duties of the office for thirty (30)
consecutive days or more, the Council shall vote to excuse or not to excuse the inability at each
Council meeting until the officer resumes the duties of the office. If the Council does not excuse the
inability at any meeting, after the thirty (30) days have lapsed, the office shall be forfeited at the close
of the meeting.
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2-302 Forfeiture and Removal For Cause
.1 The City Council shall declare the forfeiture of the office of any elective officer or appointee and
may remove for cause any person appointed to an office for a fixed term. In every case there shall be
a public hearing before the City Council with notice published in the same manner as notices of
proposed ordinances. A Council member charged with conduct constituting grounds for forfeiture is
permitted to attend and speak at the hearing but may not participate in the hearing as a Council
member or vote on the resolution of the charge.
.2 The position of an elective City officer or an appointee shall be forfeited if the officer:
(a) lacks at any time any qualifications required by this Charter.
(b) is convicted of a felony while holding the office or appointment.
(c) violates a provision of this Charter punishable by forfeiture.
.3 Decisions made by the City Council under this section are not reviewable by the Mayor but are
subject to judicial review in a hearing de novo. Any resident of the City may petition an appropriate
court to require the City Council to hold a public hearing on the forfeiture of an office if the City
Council has unreasonably refused to proceed.
2-303 Filling Vacancies
.1 Whenever a vacancy occurs in the office of Mayor, the President of the City Council shall fill the
office until January 1 st following the earliest November general election at which a successor can be
elected to fill the office for the rest of the term. If the Council President should decline to serve as
Mayor, after receiving notice of the vacancy, the Council by a majority of Council members serving
shall select one of its members to fill the office of Mayor.
.2 Whenever a vacancy exists in the office of the City Clerk or member of the City Council, the
Council, by a majority vote of members serving, shall appoint a qualified person to fill the office until
January 1 st following the earliest November general election at which a successor can be elected to
fill the office for the rest of the term.
2-304 Temporary Absence of Mayor
.1 During the temporary absence of the Mayor from the City or the inability of the Mayor to perform
the duties of the office, the President of the City Council shall be considered the temporary Mayor of
the City for the purpose of performing statutory duties of the office.
.2 Whenever the City Council, by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members serving, declares that the
temporary absence of the Mayor from the City or the inability of the Mayor to perform the duties of the
office has created a need for administrative leadership and direction, the City Council may request
the President of the City Council to assume the fulltime obligations of leadership under Section 4-102
for as long as the Council deems necessary or until the elected Mayor resumes the office, whichever
is the first to occur.
.3 If the President at any time declines to serve as Acting Mayor, the Council may designate another
of its members to serve as Acting Mayor.
.4 Any appointment or removals by an Acting Mayor are subject to confirmation by the permanent
Mayor.
.5 The Acting Mayor shall possess the veto power provided in this Charter but shall not vote while
Acting Mayor.
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.6 For purposes of this section, "temporary absence of the Mayor from the City or inability of the
Mayor to perform the duties of office" shall mean such an absence, condition, sickness, or other
cause that renders the Mayor incapable for the time being of performing the act that may be in
question, which act must present such a necessity for immediate attention as to require it to be then
executed.
Chapter 4. BALLOT ISSUES
2-401 Recall
Any official holding an elective office may be recalled and the office be filled in the manner provided
by law.
2-402 Initiative and Referendum
The people reserve to themselves the power to propose ordinances and to enact and reject
ordinances, called the initiative, and the power to approve or reject ordinances enacted by the City
Council, called the referendum.
2-403 Petitions for Initiative and Referendum
.1 Initiative and referendum petitions must be signed by a number of City electors equivalent to at
least five percent (5%) of registered electors of the City.
.2 Petitions shall set forth in full the measure to be initiated or referred. The circulators may submit the
petitions to the City Attorney for approval as to form before circulating, but they are not required to do
so.
.3 Signers of petitions shall be registered electors of the City. Each shall sign his or her name indelibly
and shall indicate his or her residence and the date of signing. Each petition shall contain a sworn
affidavit of the circulator stating that each signature is, to the knowledge of the circulator, the genuine
signature of a registered elector and the person whose name it purports to be, and that it was affixed
in the presence of the circulator.
.4 Signatures obtained more than one year before the petition is filed with the Clerk shall not be
counted.
.5 The City Clerk shall, within forty-five (45) days, canvass the signatures and shall present the
petition, if found sufficient and proper, to the City Council at its next regular meeting.
.6 If the City Clerk determines the petition lacks sufficient signatures or is otherwise improper, the City
Clerk shall forthwith notify the person filing such petition by regular mail of the deficiency and ten (10)
days shall be allowed for filing supplemental petition papers.
2-404 Suspension of Referred Ordinance
A referendum petition must be filed with the City Clerk within thirty (30) days after the enactment of an
ordinance. The filing of a referendum petition containing signatures equal to the required amount will
delay or suspend the operation of the ordinance until the City Clerk has made a report that the
petition does not contain a sufficient number of valid signatures or, if the City Clerk finds the petition
to be sufficient, until final determination by the voters.
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2-405 Council Action On Petitions
.1 Upon receiving an initiative or referendum petition from the City Clerk, the City Council shall within
thirty (30) days either:
(a) if it is an initiative petition
(1) adopt the ordinance as submitted in the petition, or
(2) direct the submission of the proposal to the electors; or
(b) if it is a referendum petition
(1) repeal the ordinance to which the petition refers, or
(2) direct the submission of the proposal to the electors.
.2 Submission to the voters shall take place at the next regular election, or at a special election held
prior to the next regular election.
2-406 Special Elections
.1 Special City elections shall be held when called by resolution of the City Council at least ninety (90)
days in advance of the election, or longer as otherwise required by this Charter or state law. Any
resolution calling a special election shall set forth the purpose of such election.
.2 Special elections to fill vacancies shall be called at least ninety (90) days before the general
election, or longer as otherwise required by state law. A special primary election shall be held at least
forty-five (45) days before the special general election.
.3 Any election to fill a vacancy in an elective City office shall be held on election day in November
and shall be preceded by a primary election. No general election to fill a vacancy may be held unless
the vacancy occurred at least six (6) months prior to the general election.
.4 Whenever a vacancy in the office of Mayor, City Clerk, or City Council exists for thirty (30) days and
the City Council has failed to fill the vacancy, the Election Commission shall schedule a special
election to fill the vacancies at the earliest possible time. The date of the election shall not be subject
to the provisions of Section 2-406.3.
2-407 Submission by Council
The City Council may, on its own motion, by a majority vote of Council members serving, submit to
the voters any proposed ordinances or any proposal for the repeal or amendment of an ordinance in
the manner and with the effect in this Chapter for submission of proposals initiated by petition.
2-408 Determining Result of Election
.1 Except as otherwise required by law, the result of any initiative or referendum election shall be
determined by a majority of the voters voting on the question.
.2 If two or more inconsistent initiative or referendum measures are submitted to the voters at the
same election, the measure receiving the highest number of affirmative votes shall prevail to the
extent of their inconsistency.
2-409 Amendment, Repeal and Reenactment
.1 An ordinance adopted by the voters through initiative proceedings may not be amended or
repealed by the City Council for a period of two years after the date of the election at which it was
adopted.
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.2 An ordinance nullified by the voters through referendum proceedings may not be re-enacted by the
City Council for a period of two years after the election at which it was nullified.
2-410 Charter Revision Question
.1 The question of whether there shall be a general revision of the City Charter shall be submitted to
the voters of the City of Lansing at the November general election held in 2041 and every sixteen (16)
years thereafter and may be submitted at other times in the manner provided by law.
.2 When the question of having a general revision of this Charter shall be submitted to the voters as
required pursuant to Section 2-410.1, the charter commission shall be selected at the same election
at which the proposition to revise is submitted; the selection shall be void if the proposition to revise is
not adopted.
.3 No city officer or employee, whether elected or appointed, shall be eligible to a place on the
commission.
2-411 Charter Amendments
.1 This Charter may be amended by a majority vote of the electors in the manner provided by statute.
.2 Petitions for Charter amendments may be submitted to the City Attorney for approval as to form in
the same manner as petitions for initiative and referendum.
.3 If two (2) or more amendments adopted at the election have inconsistent provisions, the
amendment receiving the largest affirmative vote shall prevail to the extent of their inconsistency.
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ARTICLE 3 - LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
Chapter 1 . STRUCTURE
3-101 City Council
The legislative power of the City is vested in the City Council. The City Council shall have the powers
and duties provided by law or this Charter.
3-102 Organization of Council
.1 The City Council shall meet and organize each year at its first regularly scheduled meeting in
January.
.2 At its annual organizational meeting the City Council shall select from its members a presiding
officer and a person to act in the absence of the presiding officer. They shall be known as the Council
President and the Council Vice-President, respectively, and each shall serve a one-year term.
.3 The City Clerk shall preside until the City Council has chosen a Council President. Thereafter, the
Council President shall preside at all formal sessions of the City Council when present.
.4 The Council may establish special or ad hoc committees limited in time and purpose.
.5 The Council may also establish such other committees as it may deem appropriate. For the
performance of its legislative responsibilities, standing committees may be established. No standing
committee shall be administrative in nature, nor shall it parallel the administrative structure of City
government.
.6 The Chairperson and members of each committee established by Council shall be named by the
Council President not later than the next regular City Council meeting after the establishment of the
committee.
.7 The City Council may, at any of its meetings deliberate as a committee of the whole.
3-103 Rules
.1 The Council shall by resolution adopt rules of procedure for the orderly conduct of its meetings.
.2 The rules shall direct the City Clerk to prepare the agenda for the Council meetings and make it
public in the manner set forth in the rules.
.3 The rules shall provide that there shall be a time on the agenda of each Council meeting for a
report from the Mayor and a time for the Mayor or a representative of the Mayor to respond to
questions.
.4 The rules shall provide a reasonable opportunity for members of the public to be heard at Council
meetings.
3-104 Maintenance of Order
The City Council shall have the authority to maintain order at meetings of the Council and its
committees and shall have the assistance of City police whenever the Council deems it necessary.
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Chapter 2. MEETINGS OF COUNCIL
3-201 Meetings
.1 The City Council shall meet at least twenty-six (26) times each year, at such times and places as
shall be stated in the Council rules. The public shall have a reasonable opportunity to be heard.
.2 Meetings of the City Council shall be open to the public except in those limited instances where
state law authorizes closed meetings.
.3 Notices of all meetings of the City Council shall be posted at City Hall and such other locations
considered appropriate by the Council and shall set forth the topics of business to be discussed, the
dates, times and locations of the meetings.
3-202 Special Meetings
.1 Special meetings of the Council shall be held at the call of the Clerk upon the written request of the
Mayor or any two (2) members of the Council.
.2 At least eighteen (18) hours before the meeting, the Clerk shall give public notice of the meeting;
shall cause each Council member to be personally notified; and shall verify receipt of notification by
each Council member.
.3 No business shall be transacted at any special meeting of the Council except that stated in the
notice of the meeting.
3-203 Quorum
A majority of the number of Council members elected shall be a quorum for the transaction of
business at all of its meetings. In the absence of a quorum, any number less than a quorum may
recess or adjourn any meeting or hearing to a later time.
3-204 Attendance at Meetings
.1 The City Council may compel the attendance of absent members at a duly called meeting by a
majority vote of the Council members present whether or not quorum is present.
.2 The City Council may by ordinance provide penalties for non-attendance, including the penalty of
forfeiture of office.
3-205 Voting
.1 An action of the Council shall become effective with an affirmative vote a majority of the number of
Council members elected, except as otherwise provided by this Charter for the filling of vacancies
and resolving a conflict of interest of a Council member. A vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Council shall
require an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the number of members elected. If there are one or
more vacancies existing on the Council and a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Council members serving
is required, an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Council members serving shall be sufficient to
adopt.
.2 Each member of the Council shall vote on each question before the Council for a determination,
unless excused there from by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members serving, except
that no member shall vote on any question upon which that member has a conflict of interest or a
financial interest other than as a citizen of the City. If a conflict of interest question is raised under this
section at any Council meeting, such question shall be determined by a majority of those Council
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members present and qualified to vote before the main question shall be voted on, but the Council
member affected shall not vote on such determination.
.3 The affirmative and negative votes shall be taken and recorded on all ordinances, and whenever
requested by one (1) or more Council members, on any other matter.
3-206 Investigations
.1 The City Council may make investigations into the affairs of the City and the conduct of any City
agency.
.2 The City Council may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony and require the
production of evidence in any matter pending before it.
.3 To enforce a subpoena or order for production of evidence or to impose any penalty prescribed for
failure to obey a subpoena or order, the City Council shall apply to the appropriate court.
3-207 Rights and Responsibilities of Council Members
.1 Members of the City Council shall have all of the rights appropriate to city legislators as established
by this Charter or by statute, including the right to make inquiries of City officers and employees and
receive specific information in response.
.2 The responsibilities and activities shall be to establish policy of the City and shall be legislative in
nature.
.3 Except as may otherwise be provided by law or this Charter, the administrative activities of the City
Council and its members shall be limited to its own staff, and they shall give no direct orders to any
other city officer or employee.
.4 In addition to the training requirements set forth in Section 5-103.12, members of City Council shall
undergo training on drafting ordinances and municipal finance which shall be completed within six (6)
months of taking office.
Chapter 3. LEGISLATION
3-301 City Action Requiring an Ordinance
.1 In addition to other acts required by law or by specific provision of this Charter to be done by
ordinance, those acts of the City shall be by ordinance which:
(a) provide a penalty or establish a rule or regulation for violation of which a penalty is imposed.
(b) provide for the levying and collecting of rents, tolls, excises and taxes, except for taxes levied in
the annual appropriation resolution; or
(c) amend or repeal any ordinance previously adopted.
.2 Other Council actions may be taken either by ordinance or resolution.
3-302 Introduction of Ordinances
.1 Every proposed ordinance shall be introduced in writing.
.2 No ordinance may contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly stated in its title.
.3 The enacting clause shall be "The City of Lansing ordains ........
.4 An ordinance which only amends the schedules related to the regulation of traffic and parking need
not be republished in full. The sections to be amended of all other ordinances shall be re-enacted and
published in their entirety clearly indicating the matter to be omitted and the matter to be added.
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.5 An ordinance which repeals an existing ordinance may state the number, title, a brief description of
the ordinance and the reasons for the repeal without restating the text of the ordinance being
repealed.
.6 Objections to the form of an ordinance, which are raised for the first time after the effective date of
the ordinance shall not invalidate the ordinance.
3-303 Public Hearing on Ordinance
.1 Upon introduction of any ordinance, the City Clerk shall distribute a copy to each Council member
and to the Mayor. A reasonable number of copies shall be filed in the office of the City Clerk and such
other public places as the City Council may designate.
.2 Notice to the public of a public hearing on the consideration of the proposed ordinance shall be
given by publication or in the manner determined by the City Council and shall be published in
accordance with this Charter.
.3 The public hearing may be held not sooner than five (5) days after the public has been provided
notice of the hearing. The public hearing may be held separately or at a regular or special meeting of
the City Council.
.4 All interested persons shall have an opportunity to be heard.
3-304 Publication After Enactment
.1 The City Clerk shall authenticate by signature and record all ordinances and resolutions in a
properly indexed book kept for the purpose.
.2 After enactment of any ordinance or resolution having the effect of law, the City Clerk shall have it
published as soon as possible, in a newspaper of general circulation in the City together with a notice
of its adoption.
.3 No ordinance or emergency ordinance shall be effective until it has been published.
.4 Every ordinance or resolution having the effect of law, and amendment to this Charter, shall be
printed after enactment and shall be published in accordance with this Charter.
3-305 Veto
.1 Every ordinance and resolution passed by the City Council is subject to veto by the Mayor.
.2 No ordinance or resolution of the City Council subject to review by the Mayor shall have any force
or effect if the Mayor prepares and signs a notice in writing suspending the operation of such
ordinance or resolution which sets forth reasons for the veto, and the notice is filed in the office of the
City Clerk before 5:00 p.m. of the ninth (9th) working day following the adoption of the ordinance or
resolution.
.3 If a notice of veto is filed, the ordinance or resolution shall not become law without further
affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Council members serving at a meeting held within three (3)
weeks of the notice of veto.
3-306 Effective Date of Ordinance
.1 Every published ordinance shall become effective at 12:01 a.m. on the fourteenth (14th) day after
enactment or at any later date specified.
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.2 The City Council may give immediate effect to any ordinance by an affirmative vote of two-thirds
(2/3) of the Council members serving whenever it finds that there is a public necessity for eliminating
delay in making an ordinance effective.
3-307 Emergency Ordinances
.1 Emergency ordinances may be enacted to meet a public emergency affecting life, health, property
or the public peace. However, an emergency ordinance may not levy taxes; grant, renew or extend a
franchise; or regulate the rate charged by any public utility for its services.
.2 An emergency ordinance shall be introduced in the form and manner required for ordinances
generally, except that it shall contain, after the enacting clause, a declaration stating that an
emergency exists and describing it in clear and specific terms.
.3 An emergency ordinance may be adopted and given immediate effect at the meeting at which it is
introduced by an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of Council members present.
.4 No emergency ordinance shall be effective for more than sixty (60) days.
3-308 Codification Of Ordinances
.1 As of the effective date of this Charter, the Codified Ordinances in existence shall remain in effect.
.2 Any future codification or re-codification shall be enacted by ordinance and shall be published
promptly in loose leaf form, together with this Charter and commentary and any amendments,
pertinent provisions of the State Constitution and other laws of Michigan, and other rules and
regulations as the City Council may specify within the enacting ordinance.
.3 The compilation described in Sections 3-308.1 and 3-308.2 shall be known as the Lansing City
Code and copies shall be: furnished to City officers, placed in libraries and public offices for free
public reference, and made available for purchase by the public at a reasonable price fixed by the
City Council.
.4 No less than once per year the Clerk shall cause the Codified Ordinances to be updated to reflect
amended, added, or repealed City Ordinances.
3-309 Public Peace, Health and Safety
The City shall take such action, and adopt such ordinances, as shall be necessary to provide for the
public peace and health and for the safety of persons and property within the City.
Chapter 4. COUNCIL STAFF
3-401 Council Staff
.1 The City Council may employ staff and contract for services as it may deem necessary to assist it
in its functions.
.2 Persons appointed by the Council shall serve at the pleasure of the Council.
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ARTICLE 4 - EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Chapter 1 . MAYOR
4-101 Mayor
The Mayor shall be the chief executive officer of the City of Lansing and shall devote full time to the
service of the City. The Mayor shall exercise all of the powers and duties granted to the Mayor by law
or this Charter.
4-102 Obligations of Leadership
.1 The Mayor shall exercise supervision and coordination over the several departments of
government, and see that the laws, ordinances, and regulations of the City are enforced and for that
purpose, the Mayor shall be a conservator of the peace. The Mayor may exercise within the City the
powers conferred upon sheriffs to suppress disorder and enforce the laws of the State and the
ordinances and regulations of the City.
.2 The Mayor, or the Deputy to the Mayor, shall attend all regular and special meetings of the City
Council to submit such reports and proposals to the City Council as are appropriate, and to respond
to questions of the Council members and citizens.
.3 The Mayor shall recommend to the City Council from time to time, proposals for meeting the needs
and addressing the problems of the City.
.4 Within one year of being sworn in, the Mayor shall present to the Council and public a written
three-year strategic plan for the City of Lansing that provides a vision, goals and objectives, and how
progress will be measured. The plan shall include
1) comprehensive data on and analysis of the City's current situation, including demographic and
economic trends; environmental and health threats and trends; technological trends; regional factors
and opportunities; education needs; land use and transportation; neighborhoods and housing, and
the social landscape;
2) active involvement of citizens, community organizations, local businesses, other government
agencies, and internal staff from all levels and functions;
3) high-level strategic goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound
(SMART);
4) detailed strategies and action plans for achieving the goals; and
5) a system for regularly measuring and reviewing progress and publicly reporting on the
implementation of the plan. The Mayor shall report on the progress of creating and implementing the
plan at the annual State of the City Address and in the annual budget presented to the City Council.
.5 No later than March 1 st of each year, the Mayor shall present a state of the City report to the City
Council and to the public, outlining the activities of each of the departments and agencies of the City,
their existing programs and services and an analysis of their adequacy. The report shall contain the
Mayor's observations on the effectiveness of the organization of the several departments and
agencies of the City and any recommendations for reorganization to increase efficiency, effectiveness
and economy of operation. The report shall also contain a summary of the financial conditions of the
City. The report shall also outline and provide analysis of the transparency efforts of the Agency of the
Executive Branch.
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.6 The Mayor shall be responsible for the development and preparation of the budget.
.7 The Mayor shall respond to any Internal Auditor report on irregularities or erroneous accounting
methods. Such response shall be made in writing to the City Council within thirty (30) days of receipt
and shall contain the Mayor's recommendations for the elimination or correction of the indicated
irregularities or errors.
.8 The Mayor shall be responsible for the management of real property owned by the City in accord
with Section 8-403 of this Charter.
.9 The Mayor shall make an annual report to the City Council which shall itemize all the interests in
real property owned by the City. The report shall include the status of all parcels and an analysis and
recommendation for the appropriate management and use of each. The report shall be presented to
the City Council no later than the last regular City Council meeting of each year.
.10 The Mayor shall be responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination ordinances. The Mayor may also
develop programs and initiatives that resolve disputes and foster mutual understanding among the
residents of the community.
.11 The Mayor shall make an annual report on the initiatives and programs of the City that promote
opportunity for all employees. Such report shall include, to the extent permitted by law, information
concerning the demographics of city officers and employees, including promotions, hiring, and
turnover, and demographics of persons holding contracts with the City.
.12 The Mayor or their designee shall receive, investigate, and respond to all requests for information
and all complaints concerning the operation of the City government in a prompt and efficient manner.
.13 The Mayor may delegate any of the duties described in Sections 4-102.6, 4-102.8, 4-102.10 and
4-102.12 to another officer of the city by filing notice of specific delegation with the City Clerk.
Chapter 2. EXECUTIVE STAFF
4-201 Deputy to The Mayor
.1 The Mayor shall have a Deputy who shall perform such duties and functions as may be required by
this Charter or directed by the Mayor for the efficient operation of administrative services and
functions.
.2 The Mayor may direct the Deputy to act on behalf of the Mayor with other officers of the City for the
purpose of coordinating departments, the development of the budget, communication with City
Council, and in carrying out the ordinances and policies of the City.
.3 The Deputy shall be appointed solely on the basis of the person's ability to exercise the powers
and perform the duties conferred upon the Deputy pursuant to this Charter, or which may be assigned
to the Deputy by the Mayor. This ability shall have been demonstrated by relevant executive or
administrative experiences in a federal, state or municipal government or by equivalent experiences
in a field other than government.
.4 The Deputy shall be appointed by the Mayor and shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor.
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Chapter 3. DEPARTMENTS
4-301 Organization of Departments
.1 All departments, divisions of departments and agencies of the City in existence on the effective
date of this Charter, whether created by the previous Charter or by ordinance, shall continue as if
created by ordinance until changed in accordance with this Charter.
.2 The following agencies of the City shall have the power and duties described in this Charter:
(A) Board of Water and Light (Sections 5-201 to 5-207)
(B) Finance Department (Section 4-302)
(C) Fire Department (Section 4-303)
(D) Office of the City Attorney (Section 4-304)
(E) Parks and Recreation Department (Section 4-305)
(F) Economic Development and Planning Department (Section 4-306)
(G) Police Department (Section 4-307)
(H) Public Service Department (Section 4-308)
.3 Other agencies of the City previously established by ordinance, or otherwise, shall continue in
existence subject to reorganization in accord with this charter.
.4 Except as otherwise provided by this Charter; services, agencies and instrumentalities of the City
shall be organized as far as practicable according to their major purpose and function in order to
provide service as efficiently, effectively and economically as possible.
.5 To the extent permitted by law, the City may, by ordinance, establish, abolish and reorganize
departments, other than the Fire Department, Police Department, and the Board of Water and Light.
.6 The Fire Department and Police Department may be assigned, by ordinance, additional duties
compatible with the general purposes of the departments. The Board of Water and Light may be
assigned added duties by agreement between the Board and the City Council. No agency of the
executive branch shall have any administrative authority over the Board of Water and Light.
4-302 Finance Department
.1 The Director of Finance shall be the administrative head of the Department of Finance and shall be
responsible to the Mayor for the provision of financial services to the City in a manner consistent with
the best practices, therefore.
.2 The Department of Finance shall coordinate with the divisions of Accounting, Assessments, Budget
Management, Income Tax, and Treasury.
4-303 Fire Department
.1 The Fire Chief shall be the administrative head of the Fire Department and shall be responsible to
the Mayor for the provision of its fire protection services, fire prevention services and such other
services as may be assigned to it by the City. All services shall be rendered to the City in a manner
consistent with the best standards and practices.
.2 The Fire Chief shall be appointed by the Mayor from candidates recommended by the Board of
Fire Commissioners.
.3 The Mayor may suspend the Fire Chief and shall notify the Board of Fire Commissioners of the
reasons for the suspension. The Board shall convene at the earliest opportunity after the suspension
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and shall determine, by a majority of the Board serving, whether the suspension shall continue. The
Fire Chief may be removed by the Mayor only with the concurrence of a majority of the Board serving.
.4 Each member of the Fire Department shall, before entering upon the duties of the office or
employment, take an oath of office similar to that required of other officers of the City. A copy of the
oath shall be subscribed in the presence of the City Clerk and filed in the office of the City Clerk.
.5 The department shall maintain and operate ambulance services, advanced life support (ALS), and
other lifesaving and emergency services necessary for the welfare of the residents of the City of
Lansing. The Lansing Fire Department is designated as the primary provider of emergency medical
services, ensuring the highest standards of care, as directed by the Council.
4-304 Office of the City Attorney
.1 The City Attorney may be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The City
Attorney shall be the administrative head of the Office of the City Attorney and shall be responsible to
the Mayor and the City Council to see that the legal affairs of the City are properly managed.
.2 The City Attorney shall be the prosecutor for the people of the City for all cases arising under this
Charter and ordinances of the City and, when authorized to do so by law, cases arising under state
law.
.3 The City Attorney shall advise the officers and agencies of the City, in writing, on matters relating to
their official duties upon request.
.4 The City Attorney shall prepare or approve as to form, all bonds, contracts, ordinances and other
written instruments in which the City is concerned.
.5 The City Attorney shall prosecute or defend all cases in which the City is a party or has a legal
interest, and may upon request, and with City Council approval, represent any officer or employee of
the City in any action or proceeding involving official duties.
.6 No agency, board, or officer may employ or retain special counsel in any matter relating to the
affairs of the City without first securing the approval of such employment or retainer by the City
Council. The City Council may approve such special counsel only after receiving the City Attorney's
written opinion on the matter.
.7 No civil litigation may be settled without the recommendation of the City Attorney and the consent
of the City Council, except and to the extent that risks are covered by insurance.
.8 When the City Council has received the opinion or advice of the City Attorney on a matter and
concludes that there is a conflict of interest between the City Council and another branch of City
government, as determined by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the City Council, the City Council
has the authority to retain special legal counsel to represent the City Council in the matter. Such
special counsel must be licensed to practice law in Michigan and shall not represent the City as a
municipal corporation in any legal proceedings.
.9 The City Attorney may be suspended or removed by the Mayor or by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of
Council members serving. Notice of such action shall be filed with the City Clerk. A suspension or
removal by City Council is subject to veto by the Mayor as provided in Section 3-305, except Sec. 3-
305.3 shall not apply. A suspension or removal by the mayor is subject to veto by the City Council as
provided in Section 4-401.5
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4-305 Parks and Recreation Department
.1 The Director of Parks and Recreation shall be the administrative head of the Department of Parks
and Recreation and shall be responsible to the Mayor for the provisions of parks, recreation, and
leisure services of the City in a manner consistent with the best practices, therefore.
.2 The Department of Parks and Recreation shall be in charge of those agencies and programs
responsible for cemetery services and facilities, forestry, parks, and recreation.
4-306 Economic Development and Planning Department
.1 The Director of Economic Development and Planning shall be the administrative head of the
Department of Economic Development and Planning and shall be responsible to the Mayor for the
planning activities of the City.
.2 Any agency with the knowledge of the Director of Economic Development and Planning may
undertake the study of any development matter within the scope of its duties,
.3 The Department of Economic Development and Planning shall receive all reports concerning
development matters and other information, which it requests.
.4 The director shall, with the head of any agency involved, evaluate all reports and information
received by the department in the light of the policies, programs and priorities of the adopted master
plan.
.5 The director shall be responsible for providing the Planning Commission with staff and all
information necessary for the Commission to carry out its assigned duties under Sections 5-601 and
5-602 of this Charter.
.6 The department shall administer and enforce the zoning ordinances of the City and prepare plans
for the City and its various departments when such plans involve the character, location and extent of
activities and facilities which impact on the social, physical and economic development of the City.
4-307 Police Department
.1 The Chief of Police shall be the administrative head of the Police Department and shall be
responsible to the Mayor for the provision of Police service to the City.
.2 The Chief of Police shall be appointed by the Mayor from candidates recommended by the Board
of Police Commissioners, in consultation with the Board and subject to confirmation by a majority of
the members of the Board of Police Commissioners serving. Candidates for the Chief of Police shall
be licensed by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards or shall possess
comparable licensure from another state and agree to obtain licensure by the Michigan Commission
on Law Enforcement Standards following confirmation as the Chief of Police.
.3 The Mayor may suspend the Chief of Police and shall notify the Board of Police Commissioners of
the reasons for the suspension. The Board shall convene at the earliest opportunity after the
suspension and shall determine, by a majority of the Board serving, whether the suspension shall
continue. The Chief of Police may be removed by the Mayor only with the concurrence of a majority
of the Board serving.
.4 Each member of the Police Department shall, before entering upon the duties of the office or
employment, take an oath of office similar to that required of other officers of the City. A copy of the
oath shall be subscribed in the presence of the City Clerk and filed in the office of the City Clerk.
.5 The police officers shall have and exercise all the immunities, privileges and powers of peace
officers granted by law, for the preservation of quiet, good order and for the safety of persons and
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property. They shall possess and exercise the powers of arrest granted to peace officers by law, and
shall promptly take any person who is arrested before the proper magistrate or court to be dealt with
according to law. Violations of City ordinances shall be deemed to be misdemeanors for the purpose
of establishing the power of police officers in making arrests.
4-308 Public Service Department
.1 The Director of Public Service shall be the administrative head of the Department of Public Service
and shall be responsible to the Mayor for the maintenance and operation of the public works and
service facilities of the City in a manner consistent with the best practices, therefore.
.2 The Department of Public Service shall be in charge of those agencies and programs responsible
for the provision of construction, engineering, maintenance, sewage and waste disposal services, and
facilities, traffic, and sustainability, including environmental affairs activities and environmental justice
within the City.
.3 Persons appointed to serve as Director of Public Service and City Engineer shall be registered
Professional Engineers of the State of Michigan.
Chapter 4. DEPARTMENT AND AGENCY HEADS
4-401 Heads Of Departments
.1 The City Council shall adopt ordinances setting forth the qualifications for each head of a
department, division or agency to be appointed by the Mayor. Such ordinances shall be adopted
before any person may be considered for the position and no later than thirty (30) days after the
creation of a position. No amendment of an ordinance on qualifications shall affect the status of any
person holding office at the time consideration of the amendment is commenced.
.2 Unless otherwise stated in this Charter, the Mayor shall appoint a qualified person as head of each
City department.
.3 The head of each department may also serve as a head of an agency or division.
.4 The head of each department of the City shall be responsible to the Mayor for the administration of
the department and shall, under direction of the Mayor, implement the policies, including pursuit of
opportunity in hiring and promotion within the department in accordance with law, as expressed in the
ordinances and resolutions of the City Council.
.5 Unless otherwise stated in this Charter, every person appointed by the Mayor to an indefinite term
may be suspended or removed by the Mayor. The Mayor shall file a notice of every suspension or
removal with the City Clerk for delivery to the City Council. If the City Council determines by a vote of
two-thirds (2/3) of Council members serving within thirty (30) days of the notice of its receipt of
suspension or removal that the action was not in the best interest of the City, the person may, in the
discretion of the City Council, be reinstated to office without loss of compensation.
4-402 Heads of Agencies
.1 The head of an agency or division may also serve as the head of a department.
.2 The head of each agency or division within a department shall be appointed by the department
head unless this Charter or an ordinance provides for appointment by the Mayor.
.3 Whenever an agency or division head is appointed by the Mayor, the appointment shall be subject
to the provisions of Section 4-401 of this Charter.
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.4 Notwithstanding the provisions of any ordinance, the Mayor shall appoint the Treasurer, the
Assessor, and the Human Resources Director.
Chapter 5. CLERK
4-501 City Clerk.
.1 The City Clerk shall be the administrative head of the Office of the City Clerk and shall be
responsible to the people of the City of Lansing for the proper maintenance of the records of the City
and for the orderly conduct of elections.
.2 The City Clerk shall be the Clerk of the City Council and shall keep a printed journal in the English
language of its proceedings. The City Clerk shall attend all meetings of the City Council.
.3 The City Clerk shall be the custodian of all papers, documents, surety bonds, and records which
pertain to the City, the custody of which is not otherwise provided.
.4 The signature of the City Clerk shall be the official certification for all ordinances, resolutions, and
other actions by the Council.
.5 The City Clerk shall make the records of the City, including all Council actions, available to the
public during regular business hours.
.6 The City Clerk shall have custody of the City Seal and shall affix it to all documents requiring the
seal and shall attest the documents and instruments.
.7 The City Clerk shall have the power to administer any oath required for municipal purposes by law.
.8 The office of the City Clerk shall have a supply of forms required to be filed with the City for any
purpose either by the provisions of this Charter, by ordinance or by law.
.9 The City Clerk shall be the chief elections officer of the City.
4-502 Chief Deputy City Clerk
.1 The City Clerk shall designate one (1) member of the office of the City Clerk to be the Chief Deputy
City Clerk who shall retain that designation at the pleasure of the City Clerk.
.2 In the absence or disability of the City Clerk, or while the position is vacant pending action by the
City Council, the Chief Deputy City Clerk shall exercise all powers and perform all of the duties of the
City Clerk to the full extent permitted by law.
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ARTICLE 5 - BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
Chapter 1 . GENERAL PROVISIONS FOR BOARDS
5-101 Citizen Involvement in Government
.1 The people of the City of Lansing have placed the basic responsibility for the management of this
City in their elected officials. This Charter recognizes the important role that individual citizens play in
reviewing and evaluating the needs of the City through the structure of boards and commissions. For
this reason, boards, commissions and advisory committees shall be encouraged by the City of
Lansing.
.2 Citizen involvement for the operation of the City shall be provided through three types of boards: an
administrative board, review boards, and advisory boards.
5-102 Types of Boards
.1 The Board of Water and Light is an administrative board and has been delegated executive and
policymaking responsibilities necessary to the proper operation of the agency.
.2 Review boards include those boards, which are not administrative or advisory and whose
recommendations or decisions have legal significance. Examples of review boards are the Planning
Commission, the Board of Review, and the Board of Zoning Appeals. The City may create review
boards by ordinance.
.3 Advisory boards include boards, commissions and committees established by ordinance or this
Charter and composed of citizens sharing the common goal of improving the general welfare through
their advice and assistance to the elected and appointed full time City officials.
.4 The Board of Fire Commissioners and the Board of Police Commissioners shall act as advisory
boards with the additional responsibilities described in this Charter.
.5 All other boards shall be advisory boards.
.6 The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to the boards established for the purpose of
managing employee retirement systems.
5-103 Appointment of Board Members
.1 Every member of a board, commission or committee established by Charter or ordinance shall be
an officer of the City and shall possess the qualifications required by this Charter for holding office,
except that a felony conviction shall not render an individual ineligible for appointment or
membership.
.2 Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Charter or state law, the Mayor shall appoint
persons to all such boards, commissions and committees with the advice and consent of the Council.
No such appointment shall be effective until the Council has confirmed it.
.3 The terms of the boards established in this Charter or by ordinance shall be four (4) years
commencing July 1st, unless otherwise provided.
.4 The City Clerk shall report to the Mayor and Council, prior to the first Council meeting in March, a
list of the terms on City Boards which shall end on June 30tn
.5 The Mayor shall establish and make public a procedure, which will provide for receiving either
applications or recommendations of individuals for membership on City boards, commissions or
committees. The names of individuals seeking membership on City boards shall be public. The
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Council shall have access to the application and eligibility information of all individuals seeking
membership on City boards. Individuals seeking reappointment to a board shall submit a new
application. Consideration for reappointment may include the individual's attendance, years of
service, and the needs of the board.
.6 The Mayor shall file a list of appointments to the several boards prior to the first Council meeting in
May of each year and the Council shall act on each appointment at or prior to its first meeting in June.
.7 Appointments to fill vacancies shall be made upon the occurrence of the vacancy and each person
so appointed shall take office immediately upon the confirmation of the Council to serve for the
remainder of the unexpired term. In the event a vacancy is not filled within sixty (60) days after the
occurrence of the vacancy, the Council shall appoint a committee of three (3) of its members to act
instead of the Mayor in the making of such appointments.
.8 Each Board established by this Charter shall be composed of eight (8) members. Three (3)
members shall be from the City at-large, and one (1) member shall be appointed from each of the five
(5) wards of the City in the following pattern:
(a) The First ward member shall have a term expiring in 2029 and every four (4) years thereafter.
(b) The Second ward member shall have a term expiring in 2026 and every four (4) years thereafter.
(c) The Third ward member shall have a term expiring in 2027 and every four (4) years thereafter.
(d) The Fourth ward member shall have a term expiring in 2028 and every four (4) years thereafter.
(e) The Fifth ward member shall have a term expiring in 2029 and every four (4) years thereafter.
.9 One (1) member from the City at-large shall have a term expiring in 2026 and every four (4) years
thereafter. One (1) member from the City at-large shall have a term expiring in 2027 and every four
(4) years thereafter. One (1) member from the City at-large shall have a term expiring in 2028 and
every four (4) years thereafter.
.10 Appointments to each board, commission and committee shall be made with regard to the
diversity of Lansing citizens, their variety of interests and the experience and expertise that each can
contribute to the common good of the City.
.11 An ordinance creating a board, commission or committee may set forth a different size for the
body or a different length of term for the members than required in this section if the Council finds that
the change is appropriate.
.12 Members of all boards and commissions shall undergo training on laws, rules, and municipal
matters relevant to the duties of the board served. At a minimum, all members shall complete training
on the Michigan Constitution, the City Charter, the Open Meetings Act, the Home Rule Cities Act, the
Ethics Ordinance, parliamentary procedure, and such general topics provided to City employees upon
hire, including harassment, implicit bias, and privacy. Training shall be completed within six (6)
months of appointment.
5-104 Ineligibility for Boards
No person holding another City office or actively employed by the City shall be eligible to be a voting
member on any board.
5-105 Organization of Boards - Rules of Procedure
.1 Each board shall organize itself for the conduct of its business and select its own officers.
.2 Each board shall adopt its own rules of procedure consistent with this Charter.
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.3 The rules shall state the schedule of the regular board meetings. The schedule shall not conflict
with regular meetings of the City Council.
.4 The rules shall require that public notice of all meetings shall be given in the manner provided by
statute for meetings of public bodies. Notice shall also be posted to the City's website and by any
means determined by the City to achieve widespread dissemination to the general public in the City
to inform on matters of municipal concerns.
.5 The rules shall require that the public have a reasonable opportunity to be heard at all regular
meetings of the board.
.6 All board meetings shall be required to be open to the public to the same extent as meetings of the
City Council.
.7 The rules shall define the extent to which nonattendance at meetings may be grounds for removal
from office.
.8 All rules of procedure shall be submitted to the City Attorney for approval as to form. The rules shall
then be submitted to the City Clerk for transmission to the City Council. The rules shall be effective at
the conclusion of the next regularly scheduled Council meeting following the meeting in which they
were received unless the Council directs otherwise.
.9 The Council may object to the rules in whole or in part and may return them to the board proposing
their adoption with a statement of its objections and recommendations.
.10 The minutes of all board meetings shall be filed in the office of the Clerk as a public record.
Proposed meeting minutes shall be available for public inspection within eight (8) business days after
the meeting. Approved minutes shall be available within five (5) business days after approval.
.11 Members of advisory boards shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for the
actual and necessary expenses as authorized in the annual budget or as otherwise approved by City
Council.
5-106 Advisory Board Functions
.1 Each advisory board shall at its regular meetings review the progress and planning of the head of
the agency it serves to ensure that all activities are in accordance with City policy. Each board may
propose changes in agency operations for the purpose of making its program more effective.
.2 Proposed policies and programs or changes in existing policies or programs requiring Council
action shall be submitted by an agency head to the appropriate advisory board prior to submission to
the Mayor and Council for action. The advisory board's written recommendations concerning the
proposals shall be submitted to the Mayor along with the agency's proposal. When the Mayor submits
the proposal to the Council for action, the board's recommendations shall also be transmitted to the
Council along with that of the Mayor.
.3 An agency's budget material, including capital improvement proposals, shall be submitted to the
advisory board before submission to the Mayor and the board's written recommendations shall be
submitted to the Mayor along with the agency's recommendations. The Mayor shall transmit the
board's recommendations to the Council along with budget material for that agency.
.4 Each advisory board shall, prior to December 1 St, prepare a written report evaluating the
effectiveness and analyzing the status and priorities for services and activities of the agency it
advises. Copies thereof shall be filed with the Mayor, the Council and the Clerk.
.5 Each advisory board may develop its own proposals for new or altered policies and programs and
transmit these to the Mayor and City Council.
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.6 Each City officer who directs an agency or activity within the scope of an advisory board shall
attend all of its meetings and supply necessary secretarial services.
5-107 Continuation Of Existing Boards
.1 All City boards not established in this Charter and existing on the effective date of this Charter,
whether established in the previous Charter or created by ordinance or resolution, shall continue as if
created under ordinance with the status provided in this Charter.
.2 The terms of all persons serving on boards on the effective date of this Charter shall continue in
accordance with law.
5-108 Limitation On Powers Of Boards
.1 The Board of Water and Light shall exercise administrative, executive and policy-making authority
over the operation of those City utility services assigned to it in accordance with the provisions of this
Charter.
.2 No other board, commission or committee shall exercise any administrative, appointive or policy
making authority except as permitted by this Charter or required by state law.
.3 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Charter, the Board of Water and Light shall be subject
to the emergency powers provided the Mayor by City ordinance and state law and shall include
administrative and executive authority.
Chapter 2. BOARD OF WATER AND LIGHT
5-201 Board of Water and Light
.1 The Board of Water and Light, hereinafter known as the Board, shall have the full and exclusive
management of the water, chilled water, thermal energy, including heat or hot water and steam and
electric services and such additional utility services of the City of Lansing as may be agreed upon by
the Board and City Council. The Board shall be responsible to the Mayor and the City Council for the
provision of these services in a manner consistent with the best practices.
.2 In addition to the training requirements set forth in Section 5-103.12, members of the Board of
Water and Light shall undergo training consistent with that required of employees, as well as training
related to governance of municipal utilities.
5-202 General Manager, Internal Auditor, Secretary
.1 The Board shall appoint a General Manager who shall be responsible to the Board for carrying out
the duties assigned by the Board and shall serve at its pleasure.
.2 The Board shall appoint an Internal Auditor who shall report directly to the Board. The Internal
Auditor shall serve at the pleasure of the Board.
.3 The Board shall appoint its own Secretary who shall be responsible to the Board and shall serve at
its pleasure.
.4 The General Manager or a designee shall hold a public meeting at least quarterly to interact with
the public and ratepayers on the services provided by the Board. Notice for the meeting shall be
published by posting to the Board's website and by any means determined by the Board to achieve
widespread dissemination to the general public within the Board's service area to inform on matters of
municipal concerns.
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5-203 Powers of the Board
.1 The Board shall make all contracts pertaining to the conduct of the Board of Water and Light
business and shall have the authority to settle litigation involving the Board of Water and Light.
.2 The Board shall have the power to acquire property, both real and personal, and interests in
property in the name of the City for purposes of the Board of Water and Light.
.3 The Board shall have the power to sell real property and interests in real property not needed for
the operation of the Board of Water and Light, subject to the approval of a two-thirds (2/3) majority of
City Council members elected and subject to the limitations on the sale of real property by the City
contained in this Charter.
.4 The Board shall adopt policies and procedures to assure fairness in procuring personal property
and services and disposing of personal property. These policies and procedures of the Board shall
parallel the policies and procedures adopted by the Council for the purchase and sale of personal
property and services unless the Board makes a specific finding that a City policy or procedure is not
consistent with the best practices for public utility operation.
.5 The Board shall prepare and adopt its annual budget by June 1st of each year and implement it
with whatever modifications the Board may adopt from time to time. The budget and any
amendments shall be filed with the City Clerk within ten (10) days after adoption.
.6 The Board shall submit to the Mayor, prior to October 1 st of each year, its capital improvements
plan for the next six (6) years pursuant to Section 7-109.
.7 In the best interest of the City, the Board and other agencies of the City are encouraged to
cooperate on projects deemed to be beneficial and to utilize each other's services.
.8 The Board of Water and Light may utilize the streets, alleys, bridges and other public places of the
City for the furnishing of public utility services. In the exercise of this right, the Board of Water and
Light shall furnish timely information about proposed uses to the officials of the City and to the
agencies which will be most directly affected by the use.
.9 The Board may conduct whatever audits of Board of Water and Light activities it deems appropriate
and shall be responsible for the cost of such audits.
.10 The Board may provide for the pensioning of any employee of the Board of Water and Light or the
surviving spouse or dependent of any deceased employee.
.11 The Board, except as otherwise provided in this Charter, shall be responsible for and have
authority over the compensation, benefits, bonding, conditions of employment, and labor
management activities for all employees of the Board of Water and Light.
5-204 Withdrawal of Funds
.1 The funds and revenues of the Board of Water and Light shall be deposited in the accounts of the
Board of Water and Light. The Board shall have and exercise full control over all of the funds of the
Board of Water and Light.
.2 All warrants drawn for the payment of money under the authority of the Board shall be signed by
the General Manager and countersigned by the Secretary of the Board.
.3 Whenever warrants are issued and there is no money for the payment of the warrant, the Board
shall, upon presentation of the warrant, stamp the date of presentation on the face of the warrant,
together with a statement that the warrant will bear interest thereafter at the rate of six percent (6%)
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per year. The interest shall cease after notice has been given to the holder, in the manner determined
by the Board, that there is sufficient money of the Board of Water and Light on hand to pay the
warrant with interest. Warrants of the Board of Water and Light are not general obligations of the City.
.4 The Council may provide by ordinance procedures for the disbursement of monies of the Board of
Water and Light by check issued by the Secretary of the Board in accordance with the ordinance.
.5 Consistent with generally accepted practice in the municipal utility industry and in
acknowledgement that the Board of Water and Light is a City owned public utility, which receives City
services without cost and utilizes City property in the fulfillment of its purposes, the Board shall
continue to be authorized to contribute payments to the City. All existing agreements for payments
shall remain in full force and effect upon adoption of this Charter. Future agreements for payments
shall be documented in writing, based on a formula and terms mutually acceptable to the City and
Board and comply with this Charter and state law. In determining the formula, the City and Board
shall consider the following factors, but not to the exclusion of other factors that may be or become
relevant: the financial burden of the payment on the Board or its ratepayers, the financial burden of
use of services and property on the City or its taxpayers, and any and all shared services or
infrastructure.
5-205 Rates
.1 The Board may fix just and reasonable rates and other charges as it may deem advisable for
services furnished by the Board of Water and Light.
.2. The Board shall conduct at least two public hearings at least forty-five (45) days prior to the
effective date of any changes in rate structure. The public hearings shall be held at different times of
day to maximize the opportunity for public attendance. At least sixty (60) days before the first public
hearing, the Board shall file with the City Clerk a statement explaining the new rates and charges
together with a notice of the public hearings. Notice shall also be published by posting to the City's
and the Board's website and by any means determined by the Board of Water and Light to achieve
widespread dissemination to the general public within the Board's service area to inform on matters of
municipal concern.
5-206 Collection And Hearing Procedure
.1 Upon the request of the Board, the City Council shall provide by ordinance for the collection of
unpaid charges for public utility services furnished by the Board of Water and Light and for the
imposition and enforcement of liens upon property served by the Board of Water and Light.
.2 When any person fails or refuses to pay any sums due on utility bills, the service upon which the
delinquency exists may be discontinued and suit may be brought for the collection of the money
owed.
.3 The Board shall establish a procedure for the resolution of disputes between the Board of Water
and Light and any of its customers concerning services or billing for services furnished in accordance
with filed rates, rules and regulations, and established Board policies and procedures. The procedure
shall incorporate the designation of an independent hearing officer.
5-207 Sale or Exchange of Facilities
The Board shall not, unless approved by the affirmative vote of three-fifths (3/5) of the electors voting
thereon at a regular or special City election, sell, exchange, lease, or in any way dispose of any
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property, easement, equipment, privilege, or asset needed to continue the operation of the Board of
Water and Light. The restrictions of this section shall not apply to the sale or exchange of articles of
machinery or equipment of the Board of Water and Light, which are no longer useful, or which are
replaced by new machinery for the operation of the Board of Water and Light, or to the exchange of
property or easements for other needed property or easements.
Chapter 3. BOARD OF POLICE COMMISSIONERS
5-301 Duties
.1 The Board of Police Commissioners, hereinafter known as the Board, is established pursuant to
Article 5, Chapter 1 of this Charter and shall have all the powers, duties and responsibilities of
advisory boards in addition to the following duties:
.2 The Board shall establish administrative rules for the organization and overall administration of the
department including promotional and training procedures in consultation with the Chief of Police and
the Mayor. These administrative rules shall not be effectuated in accordance with Section 5-105.8 of
this Charter but shall become effective upon filing with the City Clerk.
.3 The Board shall approve rules and regulations for the conduct of the members of the department,
in consultation with the Chief of Police and the Mayor.
.4 The Board in their rules shall establish a procedure for receiving and resolving any complaint
concerning the operation of the department.
.5 The Board shall review and approve the departmental budget before its submission to the Mayor.
.6 The Board shall act as the final authority of the City in imposing or reviewing discipline of the
department employees consistent with the terms of state law and applicable collective bargaining
contracts.
.7 The Board shall render an annual report to the Mayor and City Council, which shall include a
description and evaluation of the department's activities during the previous year, including the
handling of crime and complaints, if any, and proposals for future plans.
5-302 Investigatory Power
Whenever necessary to carry out its assigned duties, the Board of Police Commissioners shall have
the same power to subpoena witnesses, administer oaths and require the production of evidence as
the City Council.
Chapter 4. BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS
5-401 Duties
.1 The Board of Fire Commissioners, hereinafter known as the Board, is established pursuant to
Article 5, Chapter 1, of this Charter and shall have all the powers duties and responsibilities of
advisory boards in addition to the following duties:
.2 The Board shall establish administrative rules for the organization and overall administration of the
department, in consultation with the Chief of the Fire Department and the Mayor. These
administrative rules shall not be effectuated in accordance with Section 5-105.8 of this Charter but
shall become effective upon the filing with the City Clerk.
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.3 The Board shall approve rules and regulations for the conduct of the members of the department,
in consultation with the Chief of the Fire Department and the Mayor.
.4 The Board, in their rules, shall establish a procedure for receiving and resolving any complaint
concerning the operation of the department.
.5 The Board shall review and approve the departmental budget before its submission to the Mayor.
.6 The Board shall act as final authority of the City in imposing or reviewing discipline of the
department employees consistent with the terms of the state law and applicable collective bargaining
contracts.
.7 The Board shall render an annual report to the Mayor and City Council, which shall include a
description and evaluation of the department's activities during the previous year, including the
handling of complaints, if any, and proposals for future plans.
CHAPTER 5. BOARD OF ETHICS
5-501 Standards of Conduct
.1 The people of this City recognize that the continuation of the proper operation of the City requires
that public officers and employees be independent, impartial and responsible to the people; that
decisions and policy be made in the proper channels of governmental structure; that members of the
public have access to information upon which decisions affecting their City are made; that public
office and employment not be used for personal gain; that the integrity and operation of City
government to be subject to scrutiny of the public; and that acts or actions not compatible with the
best interests of the City be defined and prohibited.
.2 In order to provide an orderly procedure for consideration and review of the issues, which may
arise concerning questions of standards of conduct for public officers and employees, a Board of
Ethics is created.
5-502 Membership
.1 The Board of Ethics shall be a review board and shall consist of eight (8) members; five (5)
members shall be appointed by the City Council, one (1) from each City ward, and three (3) shall be
appointed by the Mayor. The City Attorney shall assist and advise the Board of Ethics, and the City
Clerk shall serve as Recording Secretary to the Board of Ethics and provide such administrative
services to the Board of Ethics as may be necessary; however, neither shall be eligible for
appointment as board members.
.2 Of the members appointed to the initial Board of Ethics, the Mayor and the City Council shall each
appoint members for a one-year, a two-year, a three year, and a four-year term. A member shall hold
office until a member's successor is appointed. Thereafter each Mayoral-appointed member and each
Council-appointed member shall serve for a term of four (4) years. An appointment to fill a vacancy
shall be made by the Mayor to fill a vacant Mayoral-appointed member position and by the City
Council to fill a vacant Council-appointed member position. Persons serving as members of the Board
of Ethics on the effective date of this Charter shall continue as members until the expiration of their
original terms.
.3 Members of the Board of Ethics shall be residents of the City and shall hold no elected public office
and no other City office or employment.
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.4 The Board of Ethics shall adopt rules governing its procedure and the holding of regular meetings,
subject to the approval of City Council. Special meetings may be held when called in the manner
provided in the rules of the Board of Ethics. The Board of Ethics shall select its own presiding officer
from among its members.
.5 If any issue before the Board of Ethics involves any member of the Board of Ethics, such member
may not participate in Board of Ethics deliberations pertaining to the member's issue nor shall such
involved member be eligible to vote on any actions concerning the issue.
.6 All City employees and elected or appointed officials of the City shall cooperate with any
investigations by the Board of Ethics; such cooperation shall include the compilation and production
of any information requested by the Board of Ethics during an investigation unless the information
requested is exempt from disclosure under the applicable state law.
.7 If any issue before the Board of Ethics involves the Office of the City Attorney, the Board of Ethics
may engage the services of outside counsel upon terms and arrangements approved by City Council.
5-503 Duties
.1 At the request of a person, the Board of Ethics may render an informal opinion with respect to the
prospective conduct of such person. An informal opinion need not be written and may be provided
directly to the requestor of such opinion. All written opinions of the Board of Ethics shall be filed with
the City Clerk and are open to public inspection. Written informal opinions shall be drafted in such a
way as not to reveal information exempt from public disclosure under the applicable state law.
.2 The Board of Ethics on its own initiative or upon request may render and publish a formal opinion
on any matter within the scope of the Board of Ethics' authority which it may deem appropriate.
.3 The Board of Ethics does not have the authority to reverse or modify a prior action of the Mayor,
City Council, or an officer or employee of the City. If the Board of Ethics finds a prior action of the
Mayor, Council, officer, or employee to have been ethically improper, the Board of Ethics may advise
the appropriate party or parties that the action should be reconsidered. Upon such advice by the
Board of Ethics, the action shall be reconsidered by the appropriate person or public body. If the
Board of Ethics determines an existing City contract to be ethically improper, after such determination
and advice from the Board of Ethics the City may void or seek termination of the contract if legally
permissible. The Board of Ethics may refer a matter to the City Attorney for review and consideration
for appropriate action. Upon completion of review and consideration, the City Attorney shall report its
findings to the Board of Ethics.
.4 The Board of Ethics may recommend to the Council standards of conduct for officers and
employees of the City and changes in the procedures related to the administration and enforcement
of those standards.
.5 The Board of Ethics shall review, at least annually, any documents required to be filed under
ordinances adopted by the City for the purpose of establishing standards of conduct for officers and
employees.
.6 The Board of Ethics, when it deems it appropriate, may request the assistance of the Office of the
City Attorney in compelling the production of documents and witnesses to assist the Board of Ethics
in the conduct of any investigation.
.7 The City shall provide an ethics manual for the use of all City officers and employees. Such manual
shall first be approved by the Board of Ethics before distribution. Each City officer and employee shall
acknowledge receipt of said manual.
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.8 Proceedings before the Board of Ethics are subject to the applicable state law regarding the
conduct of public meetings. Records of the Board of Ethics shall be filed with the City Clerk and are
available for public review as required by state law.
5-504 Protection of Public Interest
.1 The City shall adopt, by ordinance, such standards for the conduct of public affairs as may be
deemed necessary to protect the public, including the ordinances referred to in this section.
.2 The City shall adopt, by ordinance, no later than one (1) year after the effective date of this Charter,
restrictions similar to those enacted by the State of Michigan by statute, prescribing standards of
conduct for City officers and employees. To the extent permitted by law, the ordinance shall generally
include, but not be limited to, prohibiting the use of City office or employment for the private benefit of
any person; prohibiting the divulging of confidential information in advance of the time prescribed for
its authorized release to the public; prohibiting the use of City personnel resources for private gain;
prohibiting the profit from an official position and acceptance of things of value by City officers or
employees; requiring the financial disclosure by City officers and employees; and requiring lobbyist
disclosure for all City officers and employees.
.3 Any violations of ordinances dealing with matters in this section shall be punishable to the
maximum extent permitted by law and may be made punishable by forfeiture of office or position.
5-505 Conflict Of Interest
.1 At least ten (10) days prior to the first of any of the events set forth in (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E)
below, a City officer or employee who may derive any income or benefit, directly or indirectly, from a
contract with the City or from any City action, shall file an affidavit with the City Clerk detailing such
income and benefit to be derived:
(A) The bidding of the contract.
(B) The negotiation of the contract.
(C) The solicitation of the contract.
(D) The entry into the contract.
(E)Any City action by which the City officer or employee may derive any income or benefit, directly or
indirectly.
The above provisions shall not apply to individual or collective bargaining agreements pursuant to
which a City officer or employee directly or indirectly receives income or benefits in the form of official
remuneration as an officer or employee, or any City action pursuant to which a City officer or
employee directly or indirectly receives income or benefit as a member of the public at large or any
class thereof. At the first regularly scheduled City Council meeting following the filing of an affidavit
pursuant to this section, the City Clerk shall notify the City Council of such filing. In particular cases
and for good cause shown, the Board of Ethics may waive the ten (10) day prior notice requirement
contained herein.
.2 An officer or employee who has any other conflict between a personal interest and the public
interest as defined by state law, this Charter, or ordinance shall fully disclose to the City Attorney the
nature of the conflict.
.3 Except as provided by law, no elective officer, appointee or employee of the City may participate in,
vote upon or act upon any matter if a conflict exists.
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Chapter 6. PLANNING COMMISSION
5-601 Planning Commission
.1 There shall be a Planning Commission.
.2 The members of the Planning Commission shall be appointed and confirmed in the manner set
forth in Section 5-103 of this Charter.
.3 In addition to the regular members of the Planning Commission, the City Council President shall
appoint two (2) Council members who shall serve as ex-officio members of the Commission, without a
vote, for a one-year term in the manner set forth in Section 3-102.6 of this Charter.
5-602 Powers and Duties
.1 The Planning Commission shall have all of the powers and duties granted to municipal planning
commissions by statute and all the powers and duties of advisory boards provided by this Charter,
together with such additional powers and duties as may be provided by this Charter or ordinance.
.2 The Planning Commission is entitled to assistance from the staff of the Economic Development
and Planning Department in evaluating or preparing any proposal relating to planning or
development. All elective and appointive officers shall furnish to the Planning Commission, within a
reasonable time, available information required by the Planning Commission.
.3 The Planning Commission shall review and make recommendations on the Economic
Development and Planning Department draft of the Capital Improvement Plan prior to its submission
to the Mayor and Council.
.4 The Commission shall make and approve a master plan for the orderly development of the City.
The plan shall include the consideration of the impact of social, physical, and economic factors.
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ARTICLE 6 - CITY EMPLOYEES
Chapter 1 . MERIT SYSTEM
6-101 Personnel Merit System
.1 The City shall, by ordinance, establish a personnel merit system that meets the social, economic
and program needs of the City of Lansing.
.2 The personnel merit system ordinance shall provide procedures to recruit, select, develop, and
maintain an effective work force.
6-102 Administration of Personnel Merit System
.1 The Personnel Merit System shall not cover any employees of the Board of Water and Light, or
appointees of the Mayor, the City Council, and the Internal Auditor.
.2 The Human Resources Director shall determine by competitive examination, exclusively on the
basis of merit, efficiency and ability, the qualifications of all candidates for positions within the
Personnel Merit System; make, promulgate and distribute rules and regulations covering all
personnel transactions; and administer all conditions of employment within the Personnel Merit
System.
.3 All persons hired by the City. other than those stated in 6-102.1 of the section shall be processed
through the Human Resources Department and the Human Resources Director shall evaluate the
level of competency of each candidate against standards established prior to the evaluation.
Chapter 2. LABOR RELATIONS
6-201 Labor Management Activities
.1 The Mayor shall have the overall responsibility for all of the labor relations of the City.
.2 The Mayor shall designate the chief labor negotiator for the City with the advice and consent of the
City Council. The chief labor negotiator shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor and shall have
charge of the role of the City in collective bargaining contract negotiations.
.3 Collective bargaining contracts shall become effective when ratified by the City Council in accord
with state law.
.4 The Human Resources Director shall be responsible for the implementation of collective bargaining
contracts.
Chapter 3. PROHIBITION AGAINST DISCRIMINATION
6-301 Non-Discrimination
No City employee or applicant for employment shall be discriminated against because of actual or
perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, height, weight, marital status, physical or
mental disability, family status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy,
breastfeeding a child or expressing human milk, veteran status, medical condition including genetic
characteristics, HIV status, source of income, ancestry, student status, housing status, political
affiliation or belief, service in armed forces in sovereign nations, linguistic characteristics such as
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accent or limited English, English proficiency, or other characteristic as defined by law, or any other
basis prohibited by law, including any additional protections identified by law. Notwithstanding the
above, nothing in this section prohibits consideration of a bona fide occupational qualification as
defined by law. It is permissible to give preferential treatment in hiring to veterans and their relatives
as required by federal or state law.
Chapter 4. EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS
6-401 Limitation on Employment Contracts
All employment contracts for all at-will employees, including Mayoral appointees, City department
directors, and at-will employees of any and all agencies, boards, and commissions of the City, shall
be limited to a maximum term of one (1) year. Furthermore, no such employment contract shall
include terms that provide for a payment at the time of separation from employment in excess of any
compensation derived from vested or accrued benefits, or payments required by law. If a department,
agency, board, or commission cannot reasonably fill a position with a qualified individual under these
limitations, a position may be exempted from one or more of these limitations upon written
recommendation of the Mayor and the approval of City Council by resolution.
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ARTICLE 7 - TAXATION AND FINANCE
Chapter 1 . BUDGET
7-101 Submission Of Budget
On or before the fourth (4t") Monday in March of each year, the Mayor shall submit to the City Council
a proposal for the annual estimate of all City revenues and annual appropriation of expenditures for
all City agencies except the Board of Water and Light, for the next fiscal year beginning on July 1st
7-102 Council Budget Priorities
The City Council shall adopt a statement of City-wide budget policies and priorities each year and
shall transmit it to the Mayor no later than October 1 St
7-103 Budget Message
.1 The Mayor shall submit with the budget a message containing the necessary information for
understanding the budget.
.2 The message shall explain how the proposal addresses the priorities proposed by the City Council.
.3 The budget message shall contain detailed estimates with supporting explanations of proposed
expenditures of each agency of the City except the Board of Water and Light. All such estimates shall
show the actual appropriations and expenditures for corresponding items for the last preceding fiscal
year, in full, and appropriations for the current fiscal year together with the expenditures for the
current fiscal year to January 1 st and estimated expenditures for the balance of the current fiscal year.
.4 The budget message shall state the bonded and other indebtedness of the City, showing the bond
redemption and interest requirements of the debt authorized and unissued, and the condition of the
sinking funds, if any.
.5 The budget message shall contain detailed estimates of all anticipated revenues of the City from
sources other than taxes with a comparative statement of the amounts estimated for, and actually
received from, each of the same or similar sources for the last preceding fiscal year, in full, for the
current fiscal year to January 1 st, and estimated revenues for the balance of the current fiscal year.
.6 The budget message shall state the estimated accumulated cash and unencumbered balance, or
deficits, at the end of the current fiscal year.
.7 The budget message shall contain an estimate of the amount of money to be raised from current
and delinquent taxes and the amount to be raised from bond issues, which together with available
unappropriated surplus and revenues, from other sources, will be necessary to meet the proposed
expenditures.
7-104 Budget Hearing
.1 The budget of the Mayor, together with all supporting schedules, information and messages, shall
be a public record and shall be reviewed by the Council as a committee of the whole.
.2 A public hearing on the annual appropriations shall be held in the manner provided by law and at
such additional times as the Council shall direct. Council shall not vote to adopt the budget until at
least one (1) week after completion of the last required budget hearing.
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7-105 Adoption of Budget Resolution
.1 Not later than the third (3rd) Monday in May of each year, the Council shall, by resolution, adopt a
budget for the ensuing fiscal year and make an appropriation of the money needed, therefore.
.2 The resolution shall designate the sum to be raised by taxation for the general purpose of the City
and for the payments of principal and interest on its indebtedness. The adoption of the budget
resolution shall constitute appropriations of the amounts specified from the funds indicated and a levy
for the property tax specified.
7-106 Item Veto
.1 The Mayor may veto any item which has the effect of appropriating money contained in any action
of the City Council.
.2 The veto procedure in Section 3-305 of this Charter shall control when an item veto has been
exercised.
7-107 Effect of Appropriation
.1 No money shall be drawn from the Treasury of the City except in accordance with an appropriation
for that purpose or except as provided in this section.
.2 This section does not apply to funds in the account of the Board of Water and Light.
.3 Whenever an agency of the City reports to the Finance Director that the funds appropriated for a
particular purpose will be exhausted before the close of the fiscal year, and the agency has an
unencumbered appropriation balance, the Mayor may authorize additional spending for that purpose
within the total appropriation for the agency, but the additional expenditure may not exceed 15
percent (15%) of the Council's appropriation being added to or five thousand dollars ($5,000.00),
whichever is less. The Finance Director shall report the transfer to the City Clerk for transmission to
the City Council at the next regular meeting of the City Council.
.4 The appropriation of money for any purpose does not constitute a mandate to spend the money.
Each remaining unencumbered appropriation balance at the end of each fiscal year shall revert to the
general fund.
7-108 Supplemental Appropriations
.1 At any time during the fiscal year, the City Council may consider appropriations which modify the
previously adopted annual appropriation to:
(a) transfer an unencumbered balance in whole or in part from any account, or.
(b) provide for the expenditures of revenues in excess of those in the budget, or.
(c) meet a public emergency affecting life, health, property or the public peace, which may require
emergency appropriations as provided by law.
.2 Supplemental appropriations shall be adopted by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the
Council members serving and the Finance Director shall give notice of such appropriations to all
affected agencies within one week after Council action.
7-109 Capital Improvements Plan
.1 The Capital Improvements Plan shall be prepared by the Economic Development and Planning
Department in accordance with applicable state law.
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.2 The Planning Commission through the Economic Development and Planning Department and
other City departments, agencies and boards shall annually review and submit to the Mayor and City
Council a Capital Improvements Plan for the ensuing six (6) years.
.3 The City Council shall conduct a Public Hearing on the Capital Improvements Plan concurrent with
the Public Hearing on the Annual City Budget.
7-110 Control of Expenditures
During the months of October, January, and April in each fiscal year, the Director of Finance shall
submit to the Mayor and City Council data showing the relationship between the estimated and actual
revenues and expenditures to date. If it shall appear that the revenues are less than anticipated, the
City Council may, by resolution, reduce appropriations, except amounts required for debts and
interest charges, to such a degree as may be necessary to keep expenditures within the revenues.
7-111 Uniform System of Accounts
The system of accounts of the City shall conform to such uniform system as may be required by law.
Chapter 2. TAXATION
7-201 Power to Tax; Tax Limit
.1 The City shall have the power to assess taxes and to levy and collect rents, tolls and excises. The
annual general ad valorem tax levy for municipal purposes shall not exceed two percent (2%) of the
assessed value of all real and personal property in the City.
.2 Within three (3) days after the Council has made the appropriations for the ensuing year, the Clerk
shall certify to the Assessor the total amount which the Council determines shall be raised by general
ad valorem tax.
7-202 Subjects of Taxation
The subjects of ad valorem taxation for municipal purposes shall be the same as for the state, county,
and school purposes under the general law.
7-203 Exemptions
The power of taxation shall never be surrendered or suspended by any grant or contract to which the
City shall be a party. No exemptions from taxation shall be allowed, except such as are expressly
required or permitted by state law.
7-204 Duties of the City Assessor
.1 The City Assessor shall assess all real and personal property in the City of Lansing in the manner
provided by state law.
.2 The Assessor shall prepare and certify the current assessment roll to the Board of Review on or
before the date provided by ordinance.
.3 The Assessor shall prepare and extend all tax rolls and deliver them to the Treasurer on or before
the date provided by ordinance and in the manner provided by state law.
.4 At least one (1) week prior to the Assessor's certification of the assessment roll, the Assessor shall
complete a tentative assessment roll for public inspection and give notice to the owner as shown on
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the assessment roll, by first class mail, of any changes in the assessed value of any property as
compared with the previous year or the addition of any property to the roll. The notice shall advise the
property owner that the change in valuation or addition of property may be discussed at the office of
the Assessor prior to the meeting of the Board of Review. The failure to give notice shall not invalidate
any assessment roll or assessment thereon.
.5 The Assessor may change the assessment roll during the period of public inspection before
certification but only as a result of information obtained after completion of the tentative roll as a result
of an inquiry or otherwise.
.6 Notice of the time and place of the meetings of the Board of Review shall be published by the
Assessor not less than one (1) week prior to the first meeting thereof.
7-205 Board of Review
.1 A Board of Review for property tax assessment is created.
.2 The Mayor shall appoint members to the Board of Review, subject to Council confirmation, as
provided by ordinance.
.3 The members of the Board of Review shall be appointed on the basis of their knowledge and
experience in property valuation.
.4 No member of the Board of Review shall hold any other public office or public employment in any
local unit of government supported by Lansing property taxes in whole or in part. All members of the
Board of Review shall be residents of the City.
.5 Unless otherwise provided by ordinance, the Board of Review shall convene on the second (2nd)
Monday in March and sit for at least five (5) calendar days.
.6 The Board of Review shall have such powers and duties as may be provided by law.
.7 The Board of Review shall adopt rules for its conduct of business.
7-206 Taxes Become Lien
.1 City property taxes shall become a debt due by the persons liable for them on the tax day as
provided by state law. The debt shall become payable and a lien upon the property on July 1st next
following, or as provided by state law.
.2 All personal taxes shall be a first lien, prior, superior, and paramount on all personal property of
such persons as assessed. Such lien shall take precedence over all other claims, encumbrances, and
liens, to the extent provided by statute, and shall continue until such taxes, interest, and charges are
paid.
.3 Personal Tax Lien and due dates may be accelerated by Jeopardy Assessment, as provided by
state law.
7-207 State, City, County, School and Community College Taxes
State, city, county, school and community college taxes shall be levied, collected and returned, as
provided by ordinance, in conformity with state law.
7-208 Collection of Taxes
.1 The Council shall provide, by ordinance, for the method of payment of taxes and charges and for
fees, penalties, and interest, or any of them, for the late payment or non-payment of same.
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.2 The ordinance herein required shall not be amended in such manner or at such time as to change
the provisions thereof relative to any city tax collection commencing on July 1st in the calendar year in
which such ordinance is amended.
.3 There shall be no fee, penalty, or interest charged during the first thirty-one (31) days of the
collection period, and the total fees, penalties, and interest charged before March 1st of the following
year shall not exceed eight percent (8%) of such taxes and penalties. Such fees, penalties, and
interest shall constitute a charge and shall be a lien against the property to which the taxes
themselves apply, collectable in the same manner as the taxes to which they are added.
.4 If any person shall neglect or refuse to pay any tax on personal property assessed, the Treasurer
shall collect the same as provided and required by state statute.
7-209 Delinquent Tax Collection Procedure
.1 The City may provide by ordinance for the enforcement and collection of delinquent taxes.
.2 The ordinance shall make provision for notice, disposition, judgment, a period of redemption and
the purchase of the City's interest by the owner of an interest in the property.
.3 If no ordinance is in effect regulating the enforcement and collection of delinquent taxes, such
taxes shall be returned to the County Treasurer pursuant to the general tax laws.
.4 Except as otherwise provide by this Charter or ordinance, the rights, duties, powers, immunities
and procedures established by the general laws shall apply in the collection and enforcement of City
property taxes.
Chapter 3. BORROWING
7-301 General Borrowing Power
.1 The City may borrow money for any purpose within the scope of its powers, may issue bonds or
other evidence of indebtedness, and may, when permitted by law, pledge the full faith and credit of
the City for the payment of those obligations.
.2 The enumeration of specific kinds of bonds or other borrowing in this Charter shall not be deemed
to exclude other kinds of bonds or other borrowing permitted by state law.
7-302 Limitations on Borrowing
.1 The net bonded indebtedness for general obligations of the City shall not exceed 10 percent (10%)
of the assessed value of all the real and personal property in the City.
.2 No obligation shall be sold to obtain funds for any purpose or purposes other than that for which
those obligations were specifically authorized.
.3 If any bonds are not sold within three (3) years after authorization, the authorization shall be null
and void.
7-303 Use of Borrowed Funds
.1 Each obligation shall contain on its face a statement of the purpose for which it is issued.
.2 All proceeds from the issue of an obligation shall be expended for the purpose for which the
obligation was issued until the purpose has been accomplished, and then for the retirement of other
obligations of the City.
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.3 The Council may authorize the remaining unexpended and unencumbered proceeds for use in any
manner permitted by state law.
7-304 Execution of Obligations
All obligations issued by the City shall be executed with the signature of the Mayor and the City Clerk,
unless otherwise provided by ordinance, and shall bear the Seal of the City. Interest coupons may be
executed with the signatures of the Mayor and the City Clerk as permitted by law.
7-305 Special Assessment Bonds
.1 The Council shall, subject to the general laws of the state, have authority to borrow money in
anticipation of the payment of special assessments made for the purpose of defraying the cost of any
public improvement, or in anticipation of the payment of any combination of such special
assessments, and to issue bonds, therefore.
.2 Such special assessment bonds may be an obligation of the special assessment district or districts
or may be both an obligation of the special assessment district or districts and a general obligation of
the City.
.3 All collections on each special assessment roll or combination of rolls shall be set apart in a
separate fund for the payment of the principal and interest of the bonds issued in anticipation of the
payment of such special assessments and shall be used for no other purpose.
Chapter 4. SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS
7-401 Power to Assess
.1 The City Council shall have the power to make public improvements within the City and, as to
public improvements which are of such a nature as to benefit especially any property or properties
within a district, the Council shall have the power to determine, by resolution, that the whole or any
part of the expense of any public improvement shall be defrayed by special assessment upon the
property in districts especially benefited, in proportion to the benefits derived or to be derived.
.2 If, prior to the adoption of a resolution finally authorizing the making of a public improvement to be
financed by special assessment, written objections to the proposed improvement have been filed by
the owners of property in the district, which according to estimates will be required to bear more than
50 percent (50%) of the amount of such special assessments, no resolution finally determining to
proceed with such improvement shall be adopted, except by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of
the Council members serving.
7-402 Procedure Ordinance
The Council shall prescribe, by ordinance, the complete special assessment procedure governing the
initiation of projects, preparation of plans and cost estimates, creation of special assessment districts,
notices and hearings, making and confirming of special assessment rolls, correction of errors in such
rolls, the number of installments in which special assessments may be paid, collection of special
assessments, refunds, and any other matters concerning the making and financing of improvements
by the special assessment method.
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7-403 Additional Assessments
.1 Additional pro rata assessments may be made when any special assessment roll proves
insufficient to pay for the improvement for which it was levied and the incidental expenses thereof or
to pay the principal and interest on bonds issued in anticipation of such assessment rolls.
.2 Additional pro rata assessment shall not exceed 25 percent (25%) of the assessment as originally
confirmed unless confirmed by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the City Council at a meeting for which notice
has been given in the same manner as the original special assessment.
7-404 Contest of Assessments
.1 Any person owning property specially assessed shall have sixty (60) days from the mailing of a
notice of confirmation of the special assessment roll to notify the City Clerk in writing of any claimed
illegality in the special assessment process. The City shall presume that any person who neglects or
refuses to assert a claim within the sixty (60) day period has withheld his or her claim for the purpose
of unjustly obtaining a special benefit to the property to the detriment of the general taxpayers of the
City.
.2 If the City Attorney submits a written opinion finding the special assessment roll illegal, in whole or
in part, the City Council may revoke its confirmation, correct the illegality, if possible, and reconfirm it.
No property shall be assessed more than was imposed upon the original confirmation without further
notice and hearing.
7-405 Lien and Collection of Special Assessments
.1 Upon the confirmation of each special assessment roll, the special assessments thereon shall
become a debt to the City from the persons to whom they are assessed and until paid shall be a lien
upon the property assessed, for the amount of such assessments and all interest and charges
thereon. Such lien shall be of the same character and effect as created by this Charter for City taxes.
.2 The Council may provide by ordinance for fees, penalties, and interest for the late payment or
nonpayment of special assessments, which fees, penalties, and interest shall be a lien and shall be
collectable as are similar charges upon City taxes. The Council may provide that delinquent special
assessments be placed upon the tax roll, together with any accrued fees, penalties, and interest
thereon, to be collected in all respects as are City taxes on such roll, or may make other provisions
for the lien created by such special assessments.
7-406 Postponement of Payments
The Council may provide that persons who, in the opinion of the Assessor and Council, by reason of
poverty, are unable to contribute toward the cost of the making of a public improvement may execute
to the City an instrument creating a lien for the benefit of the City on all or any part of the real property
owned by them and benefitted by any public improvement, which lien will mature and be effective
from and after the execution of such instrument and shall be enforceable in the event that title to such
property is thereafter transferred in any manner whatsoever. The Council shall establish the
procedure for making this section effective by ordinance.
7-407 Special Assessment Accounts
Monies raised by special assessment for any public improvement shall be credited to a special
assessment account and shall be used to pay for the costs of the improvement for which the
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assessment was levied and of expenses incidental thereto, to repay any principal or interest on
money borrowed therefore, and to refund excessive assessments.
7-408 All Property Liable for Special Assessment
All real property, including such as is exempt from taxation by law or exempted by the Board of
Review, and with or without valuation placed thereon, shall be liable for the cost of public
improvements benefiting such property, unless exempted there from by law, the same as other
property, as provided in Section 7-402, and such special assessments shall be levied, collected, and
returned, and the said premises may be sold or forfeited in the same manner as for nonpayment of
City taxes.
Chapter 5. TRANSPARENCY
7-501 Publication of City Taxes and Debt Obligations
.1 The Mayor shall prepare within four (4) months, and the City Council shall adopt within six (6)
months of the effective date of this Charter, an ordinance that establishes a Tax and Debt Dashboard
for the purpose of providing a transparent and comprehensive overview of the City's tax millages,
assessments, and debt obligations.
.2 The Tax and Debt Dashboard shall include an itemized breakdown and description of each millage
assessed by the City including, but not limited to, the property tax millage, dedicated millages, debt
millages, and special assessment millages. The description shall identify the type and purpose of
each millage and contain the tax rates and amounts generated by each millage for each fiscal year it
is levied.
.3 The Tax and Debt Dashboard shall include an itemized breakdown and description of each debt
instrument issued by the City including, but not limited to, all bonds and special assessment bonds.
The description shall identify the type and purpose of each debt instrument and contain the principal
amount, interest rate and debt service payment amount, and maturity date for each fiscal year the
indebtedness continues.
.4 The Tax and Debt Dashboard shall be updated semiannually and published on the City's website
and by any means determined by the City to achieve widespread dissemination to the general public
in the City to inform on matters of municipal concerns.
Chapter 6. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL AUDITS
7-601 Office of the Independent Internal Auditor
.1 The Mayor shall prepare within six (6) months, and the City Council shall adopt within nine (9)
months of the effective date of this Charter an ordinance that establishes an Office of the Independent
Internal Auditor. The purpose and focus of the Office of the Independent Auditor is to make audits of
financial transactions and performance reviews of City operations and departments consistent with
the City's risk-based audit plan to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and economy of processes and
programs.
.2 The Office of the Independent Internal Auditor shall be an independent agency of the City. The
Mayor and City Council shall not direct, supervise or interfere with the operations of the Office of the
Independent Internal Auditor and its employees.
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.3 The Office of the Independent Auditor shall be staffed by an Internal Auditor. The Internal Auditor
shall be a Certified Public Accountant and certified as a Certified Internal Auditor by The Institute of
Internal Auditors (IIA). The Internal Auditor:
(a) shall be mutually appointed by the Mayor and by a vote of a majority of City Council members
serving.
(b) may be suspended or removed by the Mayor or by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Council
members serving. Notice of such action shall be filed with the City Clerk. A suspension or removal by
the City Council is subject to veto by the Mayor as provided in Section 3-305, except Sec. 3-305.3
shall not apply. A suspension or removal by the Mayor is subject to veto by the City Council as
provided in Section 4-401.5.
.4 The Internal Auditor may appoint a Deputy who during the periods of the Internal Auditor's absence
or temporary disability or when the position is vacant, shall exercise the powers and perform the
duties of the Internal Auditor to the full extent permitted by law. The Deputy Internal Auditor shall be a
Certified Public Accountant. The Deputy Internal Auditor shall serve at the pleasure of the Internal
Auditor.
.5 The Internal Auditor may be authorized by the City to hire additional staff and independently
contract with other entities, consistent with the City's hiring and procurement policies, to adequately
perform the functions of the Office of the Independent Internal Auditor. The staff shall serve at the
pleasure of the Internal Auditor.
7-602 Powers and Duties
.1 The Internal Auditor shall prepare an annual risk-based audit plan by July 1st of each fiscal year.
The annual risk-based audit plan shall contain a list of recommended audits to be conducted during
that fiscal year and shall focus on high-risk agencies and/or processes identified in the annual risk-
based audit plan. Copies of the annual risk-based audit plan shall be delivered to the Mayor and City
Council and placed on file with the City Clerk.
.2 By August 1 st and February 1 st of each fiscal year, the Mayor and City Council, after consultation
with the Internal Auditor, shall mutually agree on which audits the Internal Auditor will conduct during
the first half and second half of the fiscal year. The Internal Auditor shall conduct audits which include
financial transactions, performance reviews, and operations of City agencies identified in the annual
risk-based audit plan. At the conclusion of each audit, the Internal Auditor shall make a full report to
the Mayor and City Council and place it on file with the City Clerk.
.3 The Internal Auditor shall perform an annual financial analysis of all agencies not selected for audit
in the current fiscal year and present the analysis to the Mayor and City Council and place it on file
with the City Clerk.
.4 After the close of each fiscal year, the Internal Auditor shall make a report on the financial position
of the City and present the report to the Mayor and City Council and place it on file with the City Clerk.
.5 The Internal Auditor may investigate the administration and operation of any City agency and report
findings and recommendations to the Mayor and City Council and file each report with the City Clerk.
The Internal Auditor shall have access to all financial records, human resource records, and other
records of City agencies necessary to perform their functions. The Internal Auditor may subpoena
witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony, and enter and inspect premises within the control of any
agency during regular business hours.
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.6 The Internal Auditor shall provide the Finance Director with all the information necessary in the
preparation of the annual budget and capital improvement requests.
.7 The Internal Auditor shall have no authority to audit the activities of the Board of Water and Light
except as requested in writing and paid for by the Board.
.8 The Internal Auditor shall have all other powers and duties as required by law or ordinance.
7-603 Limitations
.1 Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, the Internal Auditor shall not have any connection
with any City agency, nor be custodian of any cash or securities belonging to the City other than the
appropriation to the Office of the Independent Internal Auditor.
7-604 External Audit
.1 An independent audit shall be made of all accounts of the City government, including the Board of
Water and Light, at the close of each fiscal year, and shall be completed by October 15t". Special
independent audits may be made at any time that the Council may designate. All such audits shall be
made by a Certified Public Accountant designated by the Council. The results of each such audit shall
be made public in the shall be placed in the office of the Clerk for public inspection.
.2 The External Auditor shall report on the activities and accounts of the Internal Auditor.
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ARTICLE 8 - REGULATORY POWERS AND CONTRACTS
Chapter 1 . LICENSING
8-101 Regulatory Power
.1 The City may, as provided by law, exercise its police powers to regulate, prohibit, or prohibit except
as authorized by permit, license or franchise, any trade, occupation, amusement, business or other
activity within the City.
.2 The City shall provide by ordinance, for the review of decisions of City agencies under this section
in any case where such review is not provided for by this Charter or by law.
8-102 Issuance of Licenses
The City Council shall provide, by ordinance, a procedure for the issuance of licenses and permits.
The ordinance shall, to the greatest extent possible, place the responsibility for the issuance of
licenses and permits under one official in order that persons requesting specific licenses and permits
will not have to contact more than one City office.
Chapter 2. FRANCHISES
8-201 Limitations on Franchise
.1 A franchise, and all renewals, amendments and extensions of it, may be granted only by ordinance.
.2 The City may approve such ordinance only after a public hearing has been held on it and after the
grantee named in it ties filed with the City Clerk its unconditional acceptance of all the terms of the
franchise.
.3 The ordinance may not take effect unless it has been approved by the voters of the City, where
State law so requires, or, unless it has been approved by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the
Council Members serving where approval of the voters is not required by state law.
.4 When approval of the voters of the City is required, the ordinance as approved by the City shall be
published in a daily newspaper of general circulation in the City not less than thirty (30) days before
the election at which it is submitted to the voters. The City may not call a special election unless the
expense of holding the election has first been paid to the City Treasurer by the grantee.
.5 A franchise for the use of the streets or other public places of the City or for the transaction of a
local business may not be sold or transferred in any manner nor may a party other than the grantee
use the franchise, unless the City consents by ordinance.
.6 The grantee of a public utility franchise shall have the right to mortgage the franchise, with the
approval of the City Council, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. The purchaser at a
foreclosure sale shall have the right to operate the franchise subject to the terms of the franchise and
provisions of this Charter.
8-202 Standard Provisions of Public Utility Franchise
.1 A public utility franchise shall include provisions for fixing and periodically readjusting rates and
charges at the direction of the City and for requiring the holder to supply necessary information and
access to records and property.
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.2 The City may, with respect to any public utility franchise granted, whether or not so provided in the
granting ordinance
(a) Repeal the franchise for violation of or failure to comply with any of its provisions, misuse or non-
use, or failure to comply with any regulation imposed under authority of federal law, state law or this
Charter.
(b) Require proper and adequate extension and maintenance of plant facilities at the highest
practicable standard of efficiency.
(c) Establish reasonable standards of service and quality of products, and prevent unjust
discrimination in service or rates.
(d) Require continuous and uninterrupted service to the public in accordance with the terms of the
franchise throughout the entire period of the franchise,
(e) Impose other regulations determined by the City to be conducive to the health, safety, welfare,
and convenience of the public,
(f) Require the public utility to pay any part of the cost of improvement or maintenance of the streets,
alleys, bridges, and public places of the City that arises from its use thereof and to protect and save
the City harmless from all damages arising from such use.
(g) Require the public utility to permit joint use its property and equipment, located in the streets and
public places of the City, by the City and other utilities, insofar as joint use may be reasonably
practicable. In the absence of agreement and upon application by the public utility, the City may
provide for arbitration of the terms and conditions for joint use.
Chapter 3. PUBLIC UTILITIES
8-301 Public Utility Services of City
The City shall have all the powers granted by law to own, operate, improve, enlarge, extend, repair,
and maintain public utilities, either within or without its corporate limits and either within or without the
corporate limits of counties in which the City may lie, including, but not by way of limitation, public
utilities for supplying water and water treatment, chilled water, thermal energy including heat or hot
water and steam, electric services, sewage disposal and treatment, electric light and power, gas,
steam, heat, public transportation, or any similar service to the municipality and the inhabitants
thereof; and shall also have the power to sell these services beyond its corporate limits as authorized
by law.
8-302 Disposal of Municipal Utility Plants and Property
Unless approved by the affirmative vote of three fifths of the electors voting thereon at a regular or
special City election, the City shall not sell, exchange, lease, or in any way dispose of any property,
easement, equipment, privilege, or asset needed to continue the operation of any municipal public
utility. All contracts, grants, leases, or other forms of transfer in violation of this section shall be void
and of no effect as against the City. The restrictions of this section shall not apply to the sale or
exchange of machinery or equipment of any municipally owned public utility, which is no longer
useful, or which is replaced by new machinery or equipment, or to the leasing of property not
necessary for the operation of the utility, or to the exchange of property or easements for other
needed property or easements.
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8-303 Rates
.1 The provisions for setting rates and charges for electric, water, chilled water, and thermal energy
including heat or hot water and steam services shall be in conformity with the Revenue Bond Act P.A.
94, of 1933, and Section 5-205.1 of this Charter.
.2 The Council may set just and reasonable rates and such other charges as may be deemed
advisable for supplying all other municipal services to the inhabitants of the City and others.
8-304 Collection of Municipal Utility Charges
.1 The City Council may provide by ordinance for the collection of unpaid charges for public utility
services furnished by the City and for the imposition and enforcement of liens upon property served
by the City.
.2 When any person fails or refuses to pay any sums due on utility bills, the service upon which the
delinquency exists may be discontinued and suit may be brought for the collection of the money
owed. When any person fails or refuses to pay any sums due for sewage disposal services furnished
by the City, the payment for such sewage disposal services may be enforced by the termination of the
sewage disposal services by discontinuing the water service to the affected premises,
notwithstanding that the water service for the collection of sewage charges shall be in addition to any
other lawful enforcement remedy.
.3 The City shall establish a procedure for the resolution of disputes between the City and any of its
customers concerning public utility services other than utility services provided by the Board of Water
and Light.
Chapter 4. PROPERTY
8-401 Purchases of Personal Property and Services
.1 The City shall establish procedures, by ordinance, to protect the interests of the City and to assure
fairness in procuring personal property and services. The ordinance shall require competitive bidding
for purchases in a manner that provides the best value to the City but there may be exceptional
cases, clearly defined in the ordinance in which competitive bidding is not required.
.2 No purchase may be made by the City unless the office of the controller advises that there is an
unencumbered balance in the appropriation against which the appropriation is to be charged to pay
for the purchase.
.3 The City shall not make a contract with a person who is in default to the City.
8-402 Sales of Personal Property
.1 The City shall establish procedures by ordinance to protect the interests of the City and to assure
fairness in disposing of personal property which has become unsuitable for public use. The ordinance
shall require competitive bidding for all sales, leases and transfers but may provide for exceptional
cases, clearly defined in the ordinance in which competitive bidding is not required.
.2 The ordinance shall define those dispositions of public property which are not in the ordinary
course of City operations and shall set forth the procedure for such disposition.
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8-403 Purchase and Sale of Real Property
.1 The City shall establish procedures by ordinance to protect the interest of the City and to assure
fairness and consistency in the acquisition and disposition of interests in real property acquired by
purchase, gift, condemnation, lease or otherwise either within or without the corporate limits of any
county in which the City is located for any public use or purpose within the powers of the City.
.2 The ordinance on acquisition shall provide the following procedures, which are similar in intent and
purpose to the acquisition provisions of Title III of Public Law 91-646, known as the Uniform
Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970:
(a) an appraisal before negotiation.
(b) every reasonable effort made to acquire property expeditiously by negotiation.
(c) the establishment of a just amount for compensation not less than the fair market value stated in
the appraisal.
(d) a prohibition against the sale of the property for less than the established price except for reasons
spelled out in the ordinance.
(e) adequate notice to quit the premises after receipt of compensation.
(f) permission for the occupant to remain in possession in certain instances by payment of the fair
market rental.
(g) a prohibition on coercive actions to compel agreement on the price.
(h) a provision concerning the institution of condemnation proceedings.
(i) a provision for the acquisition of uneconomic remnants, which might remain after the acquisition of
the property.
0) provisions for the payment of the expenses of the proceedings in appropriate cases.
.3 The ordinance on disposition of real property shall require a public hearing at least one (1) week
prior to Council action on the issue of sale. Complete documentation on the details of the sale shall
be on file in the office of the City Clerk at least thirty (30) days prior to the public hearing. The
document shall include a statement of necessity of the property for public purposes. This subsection
shall not apply to real property to be sold for less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000).
.4 No interest in real property may be sold by the City without either the affirmative vote of the people
or the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Council members serving.
.5 Any interest in real property which is being used or occupied by the Board of Water and Light, or
which indicates in the deed that the property was acquired for the purposes of the Board of Water and
Light, shall not be sold without the approval of the Board of Water and Light.
.6 No park, recreation, cemetery, or waterfront land may be sold without the approval, by a majority
vote, of the elector of the City voting on the question at a regular or special election.
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ARTICLE 9 - TRANSITION
Chapter 1 . CONTINUITY OF OFFICERS
9-101 Status of Officers
Every person holding elective or appointive office on the effective date of this Charter shall continue in
office, or equivalent office, until the election and qualification of a successor or unless removed in
accordance with law or the provisions of this Charter.
9-102 Compensation of Officers
The compensation of all persons holding office under this Charter shall continue according to the
schedule of compensation in existence prior to the effective date of this Charter. Any change in
compensation shall be made in the manner determined by law.
Chapter 2. CONTINUITY OF RIGHTS AND LEGISLATION
9-201 Existing City Legislation and Rules
All ordinances and resolutions of the City and all rules and regulations made by any officer or agency
of the City which are not inconsistent in their content with this Charter shall remain in effect until
changed by action taken under this Charter.
9-202 Vested Rights And Liabilities
.1 After the effective date of this Charter, the City shall be vested with all property, monies, contracts,
rights, credits, effects, and the records, files, books, and papers belonging to it under and by virtue of
its previous Charter.
.2 No right or liability, contract, lease, or franchise either in favor of or against the City, and no existing
suit or prosecution of any character, shall be affected in any manner by any change resulting from the
adoption of this Charter, but the same shall stand or proceed, as if no change had been made.
.3 All debts and liabilities of the City shall continue to be its debts and liabilities, and all debts to it and
fines and penalties, imposed and existing at the time of such change, shall be collected by the City.
All trusts, established for any municipal purpose, shall be continued in accordance with the terms
thereof, subject to the cy pres doctrine.
9-203 Pensions
All pensions referred to in the previous Charter shall remain in effect with the same status established
in the previous Charter, unless changed in the manner determined by law.
9-204 Changes of Time Schedules
If the provisions in effect on the date of adoption of this Charter regarding the time of the City
elections or the time of the start of the fiscal year are superseded by subsequent statute, the Council
shall, by ordinance, adjust the affected times and dates in this Charter accordingly.
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9-205 Council Action on Transition
In all cases not covered by this Charter, the Council shall by rule, resolution, or ordinance prescribe
procedures for transition from the government of the City under the previous Charter to that required
under this Charter.
Chapter 3. COMMENCEMENT OF NEW CHARTER
9-301 Effective Date of This Charter
Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, this Charter shall become effective for all purposes
on January 1, 2026.
9-302 Apportionment of Five Wards
.1 The Election Commission shall meet and prepare an apportionment plan for five (5) wards, in
accord with this Charter and State law.
.2 The City Council shall adopt the apportionment plan by January 1, 2029.
.3 The effective date of representation of the new wards shall be the date for taking office of the first
Council members elected therefrom, unless otherwise provided by this Charter.
9-303 Election Transition Plan
.1 In 2027, there shall be elections for Council members representing ward 1, ward 3, and two (2) at-
large members, for terms of two (2) years each.
.2 Beginning in 2029, and every four (4) years thereafter, there shall be elections for the Mayor, the
City Clerk, and the nine (9) members of City Council. The terms of such offices shall be governed by
Section 2-101 of this Charter.
Chapter 4. ADOPTION OF CHARTER
9-401 Submission of Charter to Electorate
This Charter shall be submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of the City of Lansing at the election
on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. All provisions for submission of the question of adopting this Charter
at the election shall be made in the manner provided by law.
9-402 Form of Question
The voters of the City of Lansing shall vote on the following proposition:
Shall the Charter proposed by the Lansing Charter Commission be adopted?
YES ( )
NO
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Resolution #2025-001
By the Lansing Charter Commission
WHEREAS, on December 12, 2022, the City Council resolved to place the question of the charter
revision on the November 7, 2023 ballot; and
WHEREAS, the question of the Charter Revision was approved by the voters of the City of Lansing on
the November 7, 2023 ballot; and
WHEREAS, on May 7, 2024, the electorate elected nine Charter Commissioners who started serving
on May 21, 2024; and
WHEREAS, since May 21, 2024, the Lansing Charter Commission has conducted its business in
accordance with the Home Rule Cities Act, Open Meetings Act, and other applicable laws; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the Lansing Charter Commission hereby approves the revised
Lansing City Charter to be submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of the City of Lansing at the
November 4, 2025 election with the following question:
Shall the Charter proposed by the Lansing Charter Commission be adopted?
YES ( )
NO ( )
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Lansing City Clerk is requested to submit the revised Lansing
City Charter to the Governor and Attorney General in accordance with the Home Rule Cities Act and
past practices.
The resolution was adopted by the Lansing Charter Commission on June 3, 2025 by the following
Roll Call Vote:
Lori Adams Simon —YEA
Jazmin Anderson — NAY
Joan Bauer—YEA
Liz Boyd — YEA
Ben Dowd — NAY
Brian Jeffries —YEA
Guillermo Lopez —YEA
Muhammad Qawwee —YEA
Jody Washington — NAY
Chris Swope, Clerk to the Lansing Charter Commission and Lansing City Clerk
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