MONROE — State Representative Bill LaVoy (D-Monroe) has introduced legislation that would restore language to Michigan’s election law clarifying which municipalities pay for certain special elections.
House Bill 4780 would require villages to pay their townships a proportionate share of the cost of an election that is held in conjunction with a township election, or pay 100 percent of the cost for village elections that are not held in conjunction with township elections. The language was stripped by Public Act 523 of 2012 (previously Senate Bill 810), which changed the dates of village elections.
“Asking villages to pay their share for the cost of an election is the fiscally responsible thing to do,” LaVoy said. “My bill would maintain the spirit of PA 523 and seek to prevent any interruption of services, such as police and fire protection, that are often the reasons for special elections.”