Michigan Compiled Laws — THE HOME RULE CITY ACT (Act 279 of 1909)

Body corporate.

Each organized city shall be a body corporate.

Short title.

This act shall be known and may be cited as "the home rule city act".

Emergency financial manager; authority and responsibilities.

Notwithstanding any provision of this act, if an emergency financial manager has been appointed under the local government fiscal responsibility act, Act No. 101 of the Public Acts of 1988, being sections 141.1101 to 141.1118 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, with respect to a city governed by this act, then that emergenc…

Saving clause.

Each city now existing shall continue with all its present rights and powers until otherwise provided by law.

Mandatory charter provisions.

Each city charter shall provide for all of the following: (a) The election of a mayor, who shall be the chief executive officer of the city, and of a body vested with legislative power, and for the election or appointment of a clerk, a treasurer, an assessor or board of assessors, a board of review, and other officers…

Abolishment of at-large city council; election of members from single-member election districts; ballot question; approval; determination of city council president; adoption of apportionment plan by commission; qualifications of candidates; rules and procedures; amendment of charter.

(1) A city that has a population of not less than 750,000 as determined by the most recent federal decennial census and that has a city council composed of 9 at-large council members shall place a question in substantially the following form on the ballot at the general primary election held on Tuesday, August 6, 2002:…

Terms of office; staggered terms; resolution; initial terms; applicability of subsection (1).

***** 117.3b SUBSECTION (1) DOES NOT APPLY AFTER DECEMBER 31, 2006: See subsection (2) ***** Sec. 3b. (1) Notwithstanding any charter provision, the city may provide by resolution for the terms of office of its elected officials and for staggered terms. (2) The initial terms established under subsection (1) may be long…

Terms of office; applicable after December 31, 2024.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section and notwithstanding any charter provision to the contrary, all terms of city officers elected after December 31, 2024 must not commence earlier than at 12 noon on the first day of the month following the officer's election. If a city's charter provides for terms of city…

Conduct of racing event under MCL 257.1701 et seq.; powers and duties.

A city may permit the conducting of a racing event under the "city motor vehicle racing act of 1981" and shall have the powers and duties provided for in that act.

(1) Each city in its charter may provide for the borrowing of money on the credit of the city and issuing bonds for the borrowing of money, for any purpose within the scope of the powers of the city. (2) Notwithstanding a charter provision to the contrary, the net indebtedness incurred for all public purposes must not…

Refunds; bonds; sewers; waterworks; lighting; permissible charter provisions.

Each city may in its charter provide: (1) For refunding money advanced or paid on special assessments imposed, for water main extensions; for borrowing money through its legislative body on the faith and credit of the city, to provide for such refunding from time to time as buildings shall be connected with such water…

Permissible charter provisions.

Each city which is authorized to acquire, own, purchase, construct or operate any public utility, may provide in its charter for the issuance of mortgage bonds therefor beyond the general limit of the bonded indebtedness prescribed by law, provided that such mortgage bonds issued beyond the general limit of bonded inde…

Permissible charter provisions; assessing costs of public improvement and boulevard lighting system; definitions.

(1) Each city may in its charter provide: (a) For assessing and reassessing the costs, or a portion of the costs, of a public improvement to a special district. (b) For assessing the cost, or a portion of the costs, of installing a boulevard lighting system on a street upon the lands abutting the street. A city shall n…

Public property; condemnation of private property; permissible charter provisions.

Each city may in its charter provide: (1) For the acquisition by purchase, gift, condemnation, lease, construction or otherwise, either within or without its corporate limits and either within or without the corporate limits of the county in which it is located, of the following improvements including the necessary lan…

Permissible city charter provisions.

Each city may in its charter provide for any of the following: (a) For the purchase or condemnation of franchises, if any exist, and of the property used in the operation of companies or individuals engaged in the road, cemetery, hospital, almshouse, electric light, gas, heat, water, and power business, and in cities h…

Rapid transit system; permissible charter provisions.

Each city may in its charter provide: (1) For the acquisition by construction, condemnation or purchase and for the ownership, equipment, possession, leasing, operation and maintenance of a rapid transit system consisting of a tunnel, subway, surface or elevated system or any combination and qualification of these, in…

Public ways; permissible charter provisions.

Each city may in its charter provide: (1) For the use, regulation, improvement and control of the surface of its streets, alleys and public ways, and of the space above and beneath them; (2) For the use, by others than the owner, of property located in streets, alleys and public places, in the operation of a public uti…

Permissible charter provisions.

Each city may provide in its charter for 1 or more of the following: (a) Laying and collecting rents, tolls, and excises. (b) Regulating and restricting the locations of oil and gasoline stations. (c) The establishment of districts or zones within which the use of land and structures, the height, area, size, and locati…

City departments; special acts; municipal powers; permissible charter provisions.

Each city may in its charter provide: (1) For the establishment of any department that it may deem necessary for the general welfare of the city, and for the separate incorporation thereof: Provided, however, That these provisions shall not be construed to extend to and include public schools; (2) For altering, amendin…

Civic, artistic, and cultural activities; public funds.

Each city in its charter may provide for the appropriation and allocation of public funds to a public or private nonprofit institution engaged within the city in the provision of civic, artistic, and cultural activities, including but not limited to music, theater, dance, visual arts, literature and letters, architectu…

Ordinance; designation as civil infraction or blight violation; civil fine; act or omission constituting crime.

(1) Consistent with any of the following statutes and whether or not authorized by the city charter, the legislative body of a city may adopt an ordinance that designates a violation of the ordinance as a civil infraction and provides a civil fine for that violation: (a) The Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.…

Ordinance regulating recreational trailway; posting; violation as municipal civil infraction; penalty.

(1) An ordinance regulating a recreational trailway is not effective unless it is posted and maintained near each gate or principal entrance to the trailway. (2) The operation of a vehicle on a recreational trailway at a time, in a place, or in a manner prohibited by an ordinance is a municipal civil infraction, whethe…

Medical facility for public purpose; establishment, operation, or maintenance by private nonprofit corporation.

Each city may in its charter provide for the city or 1 or more of its public corporations to become a member or joint owner in an enterprise with a private nonprofit corporation to create a separate private nonprofit corporation that will establish, operate, or maintain a medical facility for a public purpose.

Formation of nonprofit corporation by city.

(1) The legislative body of a city may by ordinance or resolution authorize the formation of a nonprofit corporation under the nonprofit corporation act, 1982 PA 162, MCL 450.2101 to 450.3192. A nonprofit corporation formed under this section may be organized only for purposes that are valid public purposes for cities…

City with population more than 600,000 or discharge of $1,000,000,000.00 in pension liabilities; defined benefit plan; retirement benefits for employees hired after July 1, 2023; health care insurance benefits; certification of compliance; definitions.

(1) Subject to section 4u, for a city with a population of more than 600,000 or that has discharged $1,000,000,000.00 of pension liabilities in bankruptcy, or both, that provides a defined benefit plan as part of a system of compensation under section 4i, all of the following apply: (a) Except as otherwise provided in…