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CITY OF MUSKEGON
CITY COMMISSION WORKSESSION
Monday, February 8, 2016
5:30 p.m.
City Commission Chambers
AGENDA
1. Second Quarter Budget Reforecast
2. Playground at Pere Marquette Park
3. Flint Water Crisis Resolution
4. No Reason Absentee Voting – Resolution in support
5. PA 269 of 2015 – Resolution in opposition
6. Any Other Business
7. Adjournment
CRC will meet immediately following the Worksession meeting.
Resolution in Support
No Reason Absentee Voting
WHEREAS, the Muskegon City Commission supports no-reason absentee voting; and
WHEREAS, no-reason absentee voting will allow every registered Michigan voter the
opportunity to vote 45 days in advance of the election, enjoying convenient and secure
voting; and
WHEREAS, Act 116 of 154, 168.759 (1) states that an elector who qualifies to vote as
an absent voter, as defined in section 758, may apply for an absent voter ballot; and
WHEREAS, allowing no-reason absentee voting may increase voter participation and
eliminate the anxiety of voters having to wait in longer lines; and
WHEREAS, no-reason absentee voting will provide the voters a more convenient and
simple way to participate in the elections; and
WHEREAS, the issuance of absentee ballots require local clerks to perform several
verification procedures such as the applicant’s signature, the applicant’s certification
they are a United States citizen, they are a registered and qualified elector, and their
date of birth, thus ensuring a secure method of voting.
Now therefore be it resolved the Muskegon City Commission supports no-reason
absentee voting and urges Michigan Legislators to adopt legislation allowing Michigan
voters to vote an absentee ballot without a reason.
The foregoing Resolution was offered by Commissioner _____________ and supported
by Commissioner _____________, and same was duly passed at a general session of
the City of Muskegon City Commission, with the vote as follows:
Yeas:
Nays:
Absent: By: _____________________
Stephen J. Gawron
Mayor
Attest: _____________________
Ann Marie Meisch, MMC
Clerk
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing constitutes a true and complete copy of a resolution
adopted by the City Commission of the City of Muskegon, County of Muskegon,
Michigan at a regular meeting held on February 9, 2016.
_____________________
Ann Marie Meisch, MMC
Clerk
RESOLUTION No. ______
Opposition to Public Act 269 of 2015
WHEREAS, Governor Rick Snyder signed into law, with immediate effect, Public Act 269
(Senate Bill 571) of 2015 despite widespread calls for a veto of this bill, including from
members of his own party; and
WHEREAS, both the Michigan Senate and the Michigan House of Representatives
passed Senate Bill 571 late into the night of December 16, 2015, just prior to recessing
for the year; and
WHEREAS, one of the last minute amendments made to Senate Bill 571, without the
knowledge of the Michigan Municipal League or other local government organizations,
and approved without any public testimony or awareness, was the new language inserted
into Section 57, subsection (3); and
WHEREAS, this new law prohibits a public body, or a person acting for a public body,
from using public funds or resources for the purpose of communicating any information
to the electorate regarding a local ballot question that is to appear on the ballot, within 60
days of an election, and
WHEREAS, this law places an immediate gag order on entities with ballot questions on
the March 8, 2016 ballot and every election thereafter; and
WHEREAS, municipal elected and appointed officials have a civic and legal duty to the
residents of their communities to fully inform them regarding the issues placed before
them, upon which they may exercise their constitutional right to vote; and
WHEREAS, existing laws, including the former language in Section 57, and decades of
guidance from the Michigan Secretary of State, already prohibit the use of public funds to
advocate for or against ballot issues; and
WHEREAS, existing laws already provided for an allowance for elected and appointed
officials to express their views without fear of violating the act; and
WHEREAS, because the new law bans only communication on local ballot issues, it
creates inconsistent treatment of statewide ballot questions versus local initiatives; and
WHEREAS, there are substantial questions regarding the constitutionality and legality of
the new law, including a possible ban on freedom of speech;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Commission of the City of
Muskegon calls for an immediate repeal of the new language in Section 57, subsection
(3) of PA 269 of 2015; and
WHEREAS, the new language inserted into Section 54, subsection (3) now prohibits a
long-standing allowance for corporations to establish and administer salary-reduction
agreements at the request of employees to contribute to a separate segregated fund
used for political advocacy; and
WHEREAS, this new language now bans corporations from deducting money from an
employee’s paycheck and depositing the same into the Political Action Committee
(PAC) of that employee’s Labor Union; and
WHEREAS, a double standard has been created, whereby payroll deductions for
contributions to a corporate PAC are allowed while this practice is banned for
employees wanting to use the convenience of payroll deduction to contribute to the PAC
of the labor union representing themselves;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Commission of the City of
Muskegon calls on the State Legislature and Governor to resolve the aforementioned
double standard, either repeal the language of Section 54, subsection (3) of PA 269 of
2015 or similarly prohibit payroll deductions from being used to fund a corporation’s own
PAC; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be
forwarded to the city’s state representatives in the Michigan House of Representatives
and the Michigan Senate.
The foregoing Resolution was offered by Commissioner Johnson and supported by
Commissioner _____________, and same was duly passed at a general session of the
City of Muskegon City Commission, with the vote as follows:
Yeas:
Nays:
Absent: By: _____________________
Stephen J. Gawron
Mayor
Attest: _____________________
Ann Marie Meisch, MMC
Clerk
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing constitutes a true and complete copy of a resolution
adopted by the City Commission of the City of Muskegon, County of Muskegon,
Michigan at a regular meeting held on February 9, 2016.
_____________________
Ann Marie Meisch, MMC
Clerk
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