Statement of Position originally adopted 1963; revised and amended 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1991, 1993, 1998.

LWVMI supports measures to allow flexibility in solving metropolitan area or regional problems, and to encourage orderly growth and efficient government:

I. Full cooperation among government units.

II. Coordination by the State of state agency policies and programs as they relate to both regions and to local governments. LWVMI actively promotes the coordination by state agencies of their rules and regulations for local governments.

III. Long-range planning for all regions in the state. A regional planning organization is important to the process.
A. Membership in regional planning and development commissions (RP and Ds) should include local units of government, special purpose districts, community college districts, intermediate school districts, local school districts and citizens.
B. Board members to the regional organization should be appointed by the governing bodies of the member units. LWVMI does not support direct election to membership in RP and Ds.
C. RP and Ds should be funded primarily through local assessments and then by state and federal appropriations. LWVMI opposes regional taxation.
D. The role of the RP and Ds should be advisory and/or that of review, and should include: 1. Regional planning in land use, economic development, farm land preservation, parks, transportation, housing, environmental functions (water and air quality, solid waste and water and sewage systems), health, law enforcement and population forecasts: 2. Review of local plans for conformity to regional plans; 3. Contracting with local governments and/or agencies for planning services.
E. Support legislation to permit formation of multipurpose districts and to authorize RP and Ds to coordinate special service boards. LWVMI opposes granting RP and Ds power of appointment of special service board members.

IV. Machinery for long-range planning for metropolitan areas.

V. Choices for the reorganization of county government to include 1. The selection of an elected or appointed chief administrative officer (unified county government), and 2. Self-determination by county charter.
A. All county governments should satisfy the following standards 1. LWVUS Principles; 2. Separation of legislative and administrative roles (with the possible exception of counties with small population); 3. Provision of long-range planning for services by county or region; and 4. Establishment of mechanism for implementing plans at county or other levels of government. B. State law should permit transfer of the functions traditionally performed by the clerk, registrar of deeds, treasurer and sheriff and by the road commissioners to positions or departments established by the county
C. State law should permit a county to empower its manager or executive officer to supervise and coordinate administrative departments, boards and commissions.
D. State law should permit counties to hold either partisan or nonpartisan elections, and to elect county commissioners either by districts, or at-large, or by combination.
E. State law should permit charter counties to choose whether the chief administrative officer should be an appointed county manager or an elected county executive.
F. In addition to the standards listed in Sec. V.A., county charters should meet the following standards: 1. Central administrative control over county operations, county departments, appointive positions, boards and commissions in general; 2. Central administrative coordination of elective offices with the rest of county government.

VI. LWVMI does not support any one single type of metropolitan government, but strongly recommends enabling legislation to allow flexibility for local areas to determine that from which best meets their needs.

VII. Township government as an optional form of local government.
A. Township government is effective for rural areas which require limited functional services.
B. Township government is an alternative to cityhood when it meets the following standards: 1. LWVUS Principles; 2. Separation of legislative and administrative roles; 3. Provision of long-range planning of services and their delivery.

VIII. A central role for the State Boundary Commission in the determination of boundary adjustment proposals.
A. Proposals for incorporation, consolidation or annexation should be subject to approval by the Commission before they may take effect. B. Legislated criteria should be used when the Commission considers each proposal.
C. Qualified electors in all affected areas should be permitted to petition for a referendum on a boundary change and to vote on the proposal. 1. In consolidation proceedings, if a petition is filed, majority approval by citizens in each of the participating municipalities counted separately should be required. 2 Future annexation decisions should be based on an urban growth plan for a multiunit urban growth area. The plan should be approved by a local urban growth planning committee composed of representatives of all of the governmental units. It should also be subject to the approval of the Boundary Commission and the regional planning commission. Qualified electors of the units included in the urban growth plan should be permitted to vote on the plan.