Video: Discussion on Proposed Pontiac Charter on Aug. 6 Ballot
(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 17, 2024)
Pontiac, MI – Voters in Pontiac have an opportunity on the Aug 6, 2024 ballot to adopt a new City Charter. The Charter sets the basic rules for the City government. The last time Pontiac had a new Charter was 1982. A Charter Revision Commission was elected to work together to create a new Charter, and voters will decide if they want to continue operating under the old rules, or the new ones.
On the ballot, there is a simple question: Shall the 2024 City Charter proposed by the Pontiac Charter Revision Commission be adopted?
The full Charter can be read on the City’s website.
The Charter Revision Commission members are Chairperson Tameka Ramsey, Vice Chair Kermit Williams, Norbert Burrows, Gill Garrett, Bryan Killian, Lucy Payne, Scott Stewart, Bruce Turpin, and Jose Ybarra III. The Commission spent, collectively, 943 hours creating the new Charter, in meetings that were open to the public.
Oakland County Times interviewed Williams and Stewart about the proposed changes.
Changes include reducing the number of districts to six and adding on one “at large” position, which means that person is elected to represent the whole city. It also make the City Council President a full-time position. The President would still be selected by the council, so it would not necessarily be the at large member.
Another change is the addition of an Ethics Committee and an Office of Public Integrity. The Committee would oversee the Office of Public Integrity so it would be independent from both the Council and the Mayor’s office.
The Charter would also give guidance of how to remove a Council member if absenteeism is a problem.
Other provisions include that park land could not be sold without a vote of the people, and that legal settlements must be approved by City Council.
Members also stated that the Charter would not raise taxes. Also, the Charter itself requires Charter Reviews every five years, so that if there are things that aren’t working as smoothly as they can be, there is a process to review and make changes.
The discussion gets into the details, the process, and the reasoning behind the decisions made. View the full proposed Charter along with more information at https://www.pontiac.mi.us/government/boards___commissions/charter_commission/index.php
