Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Administrative Fees Vital Records topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dearborn council amends fee ordinance to codify veteran death-certificate waivers, raises standard record fee
Summary
The City Council adopted changes to the administrative fees code on final reading, raising the standard record fee and incorporating on-the-floor amendments that waive death-certificate fees for qualifying veterans and limit free copies; council requested staff to add residency language and finalize ordinance text.
The Dearborn City Council on Tuesday approved changes to the city's administrative-fees ordinance that raise the standard fee for vital records and codify a veterans' waiver for death certificates, following extended discussion and an on-the-floor amendment.
Under the ordinance approved on final reading, the standard fee for a single birth or death record will increase to $25, with a senior discount applied to certain birth records; council members also directed staff to codify a veterans' waiver for death certificates and to limit the number of free copies. Council President Cerini called the final roll; the ordinance passed 7-0.
City Council members said the amendments reflect earlier council direction and local practice. "The ordinance would supersede the prior resolution," the city attorney noted during debate, meaning the code will formalize the clerk's prior practice of waiving some fees. Council members argued over how to treat veterans and seniors and how many copies should be provided at no charge; councilman Hamoud offered a modification that won support on the floor.
Councilman Hamoud proposed, and the council accepted, a change to make death certificates available without charge to eligible veterans' immediate family members for up to six copies (the first certified copy plus five additional certified copies). Council also instructed staff to add language specifying that the free copies apply to qualifying Dearborn residents and to return the finalized ordinance language for signature. Clerk and staff said they would prepare the final document and pull the corrected version for the council president's signature.
The clerk's office provided an estimate of the fiscal impact of the waiver: staff said waivers for additional copies have cost the city approximately $750 to $1,000 per year. Members debating the measure said that amount supported formalizing a waiver as a policy while retaining limits to prevent abuse. "We can make the statement; at the end of the day it's like $15," Councilman Hamoud said while proposing the change.
Council discussion also clarified how the ordinance interacts with the previous resolution: the ordinance language will supersede prior council resolutions once codified in the municipal code. Several members urged clearer advance distribution of late edits; the council asked staff to ensure the final packet contains any changes made in Committee of the Whole and to provide the purple/blue revised draft language referenced during debate.
The final motion and vote recorded approval of ordinance number 25-18-43 as amended; staff will incorporate the residency clarification and the six-copy limit into the final signed ordinance and will return the finalized text to the clerk for signature.
Mayor/administration and clerk's office staff will implement the updated fee schedule once the signed ordinance is filed with the city clerk.
