Our Feed

We are involved in our communities, our profession, and our clients' associations and activities.

Our township is in the process of adopting a blight ordinance and civil infractions ordinance. Do we have to hold a public hearing prior to adoption of either?

No. Neither a general law nor charter township is required by law to hold a public hearing for the adoption of a general police power ordinance. Both of these ordinances would be considered that type of ordinance. Instead, a general law township can introduce and adopt such an ordinance at a single meeting without a hearing. A charter township has the additional step of introducing the ordinance at one meeting and publishing notice of the purpose of the ordinance and its availability for review or posting the complete text of the ordinance at the Clerk’s office and five other public places. The notice should also provide information as to when the ordinance will be subsequently reviewed at a meeting for adoption. Some townships, however, do provide public hearings at a Township Board meeting prior to the adoption of a general police power ordinance, which is an acceptable practice. Note that zoning ordinance amendments are subject to public hearing requirements. At a minimum, a public hearing on a zoning ordinance amendment must occur once before the planning commission prior to its ultimate review and adoption by the Township Board.

Recent Articles & Announcements

  1. Can a township employer withhold...

    No. Michigan employers may not withhold a paycheck even if an employee (or former employee) has retained the employer’s property. The payc...

    Read More
  2. Employees or Independent Contrac...

    Townships of all sizes rely on workers to carry out basic governmental functions and keep the township running smoothly. Although larger tow...

    Read More
  3. Can the Township enter into a co...

    A Township can only enter into such a sales contract if the property is no longer being used for a public purpose. Michigan courts have defi...

    Read More
Talk to an Attorney
Request a Consultation

At Fahey Schultz Burzych Rhodes PLC, we’ve been helping municipalities, franchised businesses, employers, and more with their legal needs since 2008. We’d love to learn how we can help you, too.