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Dearborn Heights council sends charter revision question and nine‑member charter commission to Nov. 3 ballot
Summary
The Dearborn Heights City Council voted March 24 to place a question on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot asking voters whether to authorize a general revision of the city charter and, if approved, to elect a nine‑member charter commission. The resolution sets July 21, 2026 as the petition deadline in the draft language and leaves final charter text to a future commission.
The Dearborn Heights City Council voted March 24 to ask residents whether the city should undertake a general revision of its charter and to elect a nine‑member charter commission if voters approve.
"Our charter was established in 1963," Councilwoman Nancy Brier said during debate. "I think it’s about time now to have a new charter." The voice‑vote motion carried after extended discussion of timing and process.
The resolution, introduced by Council Chair Hassan Ahmad, would submit the question "Shall there be a general revision of the charter of the city of Dearborn Heights?" to voters at the Nov. 3, 2026 general election. The draft language in the resolution also sets the filing deadline for nomination petitions for charter‑commission candidates as July 21, 2026 and specifies a nine‑member commission elected at large. If voters reject the proposition, the selection of a charter commission would be void.
Council debate focused less on whether revision was needed and more on procedural choices: several members argued the charter commission should have the flexibility to recommend a schedule for routine review (for example, every 8–12 years), while others favored leaving that decision to the voters or to the commission once elected. Corporation Counsel urged caution about mandating a fixed review interval in the charter, citing an example from another community where mandatory provisions conflicted with state law.
The measure does not itself change the charter’s text; it only places the question and the associated commission election before voters. If the proposition passes and the commission is elected, the commission would draft revisions that would then again be submitted to voters for approval. The clerk is directed to provide the public‑notice schedule and petition forms in accordance with state law.
Next steps: the clerk will publish notice of the petition filing deadline and the election question as required by statute; residents interested in running for the charter commission can begin preparing nominating petitions within the time frames listed in the resolution.
