Terms of Office Ballot Proposal

Shall Section 2.05 of the Farmington Hills City Charter be amended to provide that the City Council members and mayor shall serve until their successor is duly sworn in following election or until they are duly re-sworn in following re-election?

In the past, election results were usually certified within a few days after the election date, but recent changes in election law have resulted in elections not being certified for up to several weeks after the election date. This has resulted in questions as to whether the terms of office for the prior City Councilmembers and Mayor extend beyond the “four-year” and “two-year” periods of time stated in Section 2.05 of the City Charter. The proposed City Charter amendment would resolve this question so that necessary City business can continue between the election date and certification of the election results.

To address the uncertainty created by the changes in election law, this ballot proposal will amend Section 2.05 of the City Charter to state that the Councilmembers and Mayor elected at the odd year general election shall take office effective the first council meeting held following certification of the election, and shall serve until their successor is sworn in.

This ballot proposal will have no direct impact on residents. It will, however, allow the residents’ City government to continue to operate uninterrupted following elections.