Charter commission keeps odd-year elections, approves 9-member council with 5 wards and 4 at-large

The Lansing Charter Commission on June 3 adopted key election and representation provisions for the draft city charter: it kept municipal elections on odd years, approved a transition plan for election timing, and voted to increase the city council to nine members with five ward seats and four at-large seats.

Commission counsel Kristen walked the commission through draft transition plans that would either keep elections on odd years or move them to even years. She said state law allows a move to even years but requires specific timing and council action. "If you want to move to even year elections and you want to use the charter, the charter revision as a mechanism to do that, we have provided some proposed language," Kristen said, and she outlined options for 2028 or 2030 transitions depending on statutory deadlines.

After an extended debate weighing voter turnout, campaign costs and ballot "fall-off," the commission voted to keep the odd-year cycle. The roll call on the motion to adopt odd-year language recorded 5 yeas and 4 nays; the motion carried.

The commission then debated council size and composition. Commissioner Washington proposed increasing the council to seven wards and two at-large members; other commissioners proposed alternative mixes including nine wards or five wards and four at-large. Commissioner Cooley offered an amendment to set the council at nine members with five wards and four at-large seats. That amendment carried on a 5-4 roll call. The commission subsequently instructed counsel to implement the charter text changes to reflect nine members; counsel presented a handout updating three charter sections (two-101.1, two-101.3 and nine-303.2) to reflect nine elective officers and four at-large members, and the commission approved those edits in separate votes.

The commission also set a deadline for apportionment of wards. Commissioner Boyd successfully moved to require the city council to adopt an apportionment plan by Jan. 1, 2029, rather than the earlier draft's 120-day-before-primary standard.

Ending: The commission finalized the broad election and representation choices for the draft charter: odd-year elections retained, council increased to nine members with five wards and four at-large seats, and a Jan. 1, 2029 apportionment deadline for ward lines. Counsel will prepare the implementing text changes for the charter packet.