Township Government in
Townships are a product
of
There are, however,
significant differences that are important to the people charged with
administering township affairs and deciding township policies. Townships and
counties are statutory units of government, having only those powers expressly
provided or fairly implied by state law. Cities and most villages are vested
with home rule powers, meaning they can do almost anything not prohibited by
law.
There are two
types of townships in
The State of
Township government is
conducted by a township board consisting of either five or seven members—a
clerk, supervisor, treasurer, and two or four trustees—that is determined by
the desires of the township residents, whether the township has a population of
over 3,000 or 5,000 registered electors, and if the township has charter
status. The township board may also hire a manager, assessor, police or fire
chief, superintendent and other necessary personnel to properly and efficiently
operate the township.
State laws authorize
townships to perform a wide variety of functions in two important categories:
mandated and permissive. Mandated functions are activities that townships are
required to perform. The three broadest mandated responsibilities are
assessment administration, elections administration and tax collection, which
are legally assigned functions of the supervisor, clerk and treasurer,
respectively. State laws also specify details for performing these functions.
In addition to these
broad mandates, there are other, more narrow state requirements. Procedures for
the township’s financial administration, such as budgets, accounting,
investments and deposits, are closely regulated by the state. Township meetings
must comply with
The Township Zoning Act
(MCL 125.271-125.310) gives townships broad powers to enact and enforce
ordinances. Zoning ordinances give townships the authority to regulate land
use, while many other specific ordinances control activities that infringe on
the rights of citizens.
The Michigan Constitution
and state statutes also limit the amount of property tax millage
that townships can levy for general township operations. General law townships are allocated at least 1 mill from the
constitutionally limited 15/18 mills allocated among townships, the county,
public schools and the intermediate school district. Charter townships, like
cities, do not share in this allocated millage, but
townships chartered by a referendum may levy up to 5 mills. Townships chartered
by board resolution after November 22, 1978, must have a vote of the electors
authorizing the levy of 5 mills. In either case, the 5 mill limit may be
increased up to 10 mills with a vote of the electors.
Townships also utilize
other sources of revenue to support services. User fees, permits, fines and
special assessments on real property are the most frequently used sources.
Townships serve other
governmental units by providing tax collection services. To avoid imposing an
unnecessary burden on citizens to pay separate property taxes to the township,
schools, special assessment districts and the county,