Statement
of
Position originally adopted 1963 ; revised
and amended 1977 , 1979 ,
1981 , 1982 , 1985
, 1991 , 1993 ,
1998 , and 2009.
LWVUS
Principles
The
League of Women Voters believes that democratic government
depends upon the informed and active participation of
its citizens and requires that governmental bodies protect
the citizen's right to know by giving adequate notice
of proposed actions, holding open meetings and making
public records accessible.
The
League of Women Voters believes that efficient and economical
government requires competent personnel, the clear assignment
of responsibility, adequate financing and coordination
among the different agencies and levels of government.
The
League of Women Voters believes that responsible government
should be responsive to the will of the people; that
government should maintain an equitable and flexible
system of taxation, promote the conservation and development
of natural resources in the public interest, share in
the solution of economic and social problems that affect
the general welfare, promote a sound economy and adopt
domestic policies that facilitate the solution of international
problems.
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 governmental 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 & Ds) should include local units of government,
special
purpose districts, community
college districts, intermediate school districts,
local school districts and citizens.
B.
Board members of the regional organization should
be appointed by the governing bodies of the member
units. LWVMI does
not support direct election
to membership in RP&Ds.
C.
RP&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&Ds should be advisory and/or
that of review, and should include:
a.
Regional planning in land use, economic development,
farmland preservation, parks, transportation, housing,
environmental functions (water and air quality,
solid waste and water and sewage systems), health,
law enforcement and population forecasts;
b.
Review of local plans for conformity to regional
plans;
c.
Contracting with local governments and/or agencies
for planning services.
E.
Support legislation to permit formation of multipurpose
districts and to authorize RP&Ds to coordinate
special service boards.
LWVMI opposes granting RP&Ds
power of appointment of special service board members.
IV.
Machinery for long-range planning for metropolitan areas.
V.
County Government
A.
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.
B.
All county governments should satisfy
the following standards:
1.
Separation of legislative and administrative roles
(with the possible exception of counties with small
population);
2.
Provision of long-range planning for services by
county or region; and
3.
Establishment of mechanism for implementing plans
at county or other levels of government.
C.
The State constitution should permit counties to transfer
the functions traditionally performed by the clerk,
treasurer, sheriff
and the road commissioners
to positions or departments established by the county.
If the functions are transferred, the
county should empower its
manager or executive officer to supervise and coordinate
those functions.
D.
The State constitution should require counties to
transfer the functions traditionally performed by
the drain commissioner and
the register of deeds to
positions or departments established by the county
and should empower its manager or executive
officer to supervise and
coordinate those functions.
E.
The State constitution should require counties to
hold nonpartisan elections, and should permit counties
to elect county
commissioners either by districts,
or at large, or by combination.
F.
State law should permit charter counties to choose
whether the chief administrative officer should be
an appointed county
manager or an elected county
executive.
G.
In addition to the standards listed in Sec. V.A.,
county charters should meet the following standards:
a.
Central administrative control over county operations,
county departments, appointive positions, boards
and
commissions in general;
b.
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 form 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 city hood
when it meets the following standards:
1.
Separation of legislative and administrative roles;
2.
Provision of long-range planning of services and
their delivery.
C.
The state constitution should require township elections
to be non - partisan.
D.
The state constitution should require terms of township
board members to be staggered.
VIII.
LWVMI supports sharing of services and consolidation
of local governments.
A.
The state should provide incentives to encourage sharing
of government services such as fire , police,
parks and recreation,
water, and sewage treatment
among local units of government.
B.
The state should provide incentives to encourage consolidation
of local units of government.
IX.
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 proposal 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.
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