Politics & Government
Voters Reject 2 Proposals to Update Outdated Novi Charter Sections
City officials aren't sure why the two proposed charter amendments did not pass.
In Tuesday's election, voters were asked to approve updates to outdated sections of the City of Novi's charter, which had not been reviewed in more than 35 years. Despite simply updating the terms and language to suit modern times, voters rejected two of the five proposed charter amendments.Â
Proposed Amendment 2, which did pass, will allow the city to post publication of notices, ordinances and proceedings — not already prescribed by the charter or state law — to newspapers, the city's website, electronic newsletters, or other appropriate  means. Proposed Amendment 3 is also in reference to publication of city notices, but it did not pass.
"[Proposed Amendment] 3 would have given more options for the required notices," said City Manager Clay J. Pearson. "But it doesn’t change anything."
If Proposal 3 passed, any areas of the charter that have a specific publication requirement would have referenced the amendment in Proposal 2 to keep the requirement in a unified place. Its rejection doesn't change anything because those areas of the charter will remain as they have been for over 35 years.Â
Pearson said he isn't sure why voters rejected Proposal 3 but passed Proposal 2. City officials were required to present the proposals in legalese, but they did their best to make them clear, he said.
"But still in the end, it could be a little confusing," he said.
Defunct section of Novi charter remains
Proposed Amendment 5, which was also rejected, asked voters to update another outdated section of the charter. That section requires that all city checks be signed by two city officers."Nobody does that," Pearson said.
When first adopted more than 40 years ago, checks with two signatures provided the only means of "checks and balances" in accounting procedure. Today, the city uses more streamlined accounting practices, according to its website. Since voters rejected the amendment proposal, it will remain a defunct part of the charter.
See which Novi charter amendment proposals passed.Â
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