In light of the election (political ad) season, I thought we should take a minute to talk about local government. What does your municipality’s government handle and why does it matter?
Backstory
For those of you who don’t know, I was a political science and English double major in college. Interpretation: I’m interested in words, arguing and government. (This interpretation is fair.)
I have lived in Plymouth Township for over a decade. I have mostly ignored the local politics until last year. Some of you may remember the Northville Downs at Plymouth Township debacle from last year. This situation is what really sparked me to sit up and take notice of what was happening in my township under my own nose.
Types of Local Government
In Michigan, local governments consist of villages, cities and townships. While they cover a lot of the same governmental ground, there are some nuances.
Townships | Townships have three mandated responsibilities: assessment administration, elections administration and tax collections (death and taxes, people!). The supervisor, clerk and treasurer administer these duties. Townships are authorized to provide a plethora of other services, but unlike cities, they must have a specific granted authority from the state to take specific actions.
Cities | Cities withdraw from the township and incorporate as a separate entity. They have the same required responsibilities as a township – assessment, elections and taxes. However, unlike townships, cities are able to take any action they desire unless the law specifically prohibits them from doing so.
Villages | Villages are super special because even though a village is incorporated, it remains within the township. The village participates in the township governments, pays township taxes in addition to the village governmental function. They have no duty to assess or administer elections.
It is common for cities and townships to provide fire, policy, parks and rec, water/sewer, trash and recycling, and sidewalks and trails. For the remainder of the article, I’ll use “town” to refer to any type of local government.
Why Should I Care?
Now that you know what’s what in local government-land, let’s discuss why you should give a [bleep]. Like an HOA, a local government can use its powers for good or for achieving new standards of pettiness. If you don’t pay attention to what your elected and unelected officials are up to, you may realize too late that you don’t agree with the direction of your town.
Land Use
The power to regulate land use – local planning and zoning – is one of the most impactful powers your local government has in its arsenal. Your municipality’s right to regulate the use of privately-owned land is well-established (hello, 1920s). Even so, this authority and how it plays out in your town often gives rise to local tensions and, sometimes, lawsuits.
Your town likely has a “Master Plan”. The master plan’s purpose is to lay out how land in the township should be appropriately used. When developing the Master Plan, the town should consider existing uses, needs of the residents, opportunities, local assets, market forces, etc.
The Master Plan will guide the zoning for the town, which dictates what types of homes, businesses, warehouses, factories, etc. can be built in what areas of the township. The zoning is the force preventing your neighbor from purchasing three homes in a row and then starting a small pig farm in the middle of your neighborhood.
Your Money
A chunk of your property taxes typically go toward maintaining funding your town’s local services, plus your town may charge an administrative fee on top of your millage total.
To be blunt, your town’s spending habits impact you because you are footing the bill. There are a lot of nuggets to be had your town’s annual budgets. Are they adding headcount to the staff, fire department or police? Are the union contracts up for renegotiation? What is the 401(k) match for town’s employees?
You can usually find this information available on your town’s website. Reading the minutes of your town’s local boards can also give you a lot of insight into what your town’s leaders are up to. There may also be video of your local city council or township trustee meetings. Dig into future agendas so you can become involved if the spirit moves you.
Get Involved
If something is going down in your town that you are not happy with, get involved. Local government officials, like our state and federal ones, respond most strongly to blowback – preferably loud and public blowback. Show up, bring your friends, use social media to rally your troops. When we abdicate responsibility for our town, we have no place to complain when a racetrack moves in down the road.
Okay, I’m climbing down off my soap box now! Thank you for joining me. As always, I’m here to help with all your homeowner questions, goals and dreams.
This Post Has One Comment
Good article this week. Thanks for sharing!