Charter commission approves separate term limits: commissioners 3 terms, mayor 2 terms

The Big Rapids Charter Revision Commission voted Oct. 8 to approve proposed charter language that would limit city commissioners to three consecutive terms and the mayor to two consecutive terms, and to send the wording for legal review.

Commission members approved the wording after a brief discussion about survey and event feedback. "No person shall serve as a commissioner for more than 3 consecutive terms or as mayor for more than 2 consecutive terms," the commission recorded as the proposed text. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with all voting members recorded as yes.

The vote followed the commission’s review of input gathered at a recent “party in the park” and an online survey. Commissioners said turnout was modest: 13 people attended the park event and the online survey drew 26 responses, for a combined total of 39 respondents across both outreach efforts. Commissioners reported that the outreach results showed plurality support for two-term limits in some questions but mixed responses overall: at the park event, the informal dot- and coin-based counts tended toward three terms in some placements, while the survey showed 42.3% favoring two consecutive terms for commissioners and 53.8% favoring two consecutive terms for mayor.

Commission members debated whether to keep a single rules set for both offices or to separate mayoral and commissioner terms. Several members argued the mayoral role is different from a commissioner role and merited separate consideration. One member said separating the two "because the mayor's job is a lot different from what the commissioners do" and that separation should remain in the proposal.

Members also discussed alternative approaches raised by outreach respondents, including lifetime limits versus consecutive-term limits and whether to cap total service across nonconsecutive terms. A few members noted voters may already address concerns through elections; others said firm charter limits would address fears about career politicians. The commission ultimately approved language capping consecutive terms as described and agreed to forward the draft to legal review in Lansing before public education and final steps.

The approved language will be included in Chapter 5 of the draft charter as the commission prepares materials for the next steps in the review process. Commissioners said they will proceed with outreach and educational materials while the text is with the attorney general's office.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Approve wording limiting commissioners to three consecutive terms and mayor to two consecutive terms and send the language for legal review. - Outcome: Approved (roll call recorded as yes votes from Brown, Cochran, Mets, Veil, Pahulka, Weaver; tally recorded in meeting: yes 6, no 0, abstain 0).

What happens next

Commissioners said the draft will be submitted for legal review and used as the basis for public education. The commission plans to continue word‑smithing other charter sections and aims to have a final revised document ready for the Nov. 12 meeting for further action.