Quest for cityhood moves forward

Manchester–village or city?

Manchester’s next step toward cityhood has been approved and plans are being made to elect a nine-member City Charter Commission at the November 8, 2022 general election.

The nine members of the Charter Commission must be residents of the village and each must submit a non-partisan nominating petition signed by at least 20 registered voters of the Village of Manchester by 4 pm on July 26, 2022. Petitions are available at the Washtenaw County Clerk/Register of Deeds office in Ann Arbor, and also at the Manchester Village Office, 912 City Road, and Manchester Township Office, 275 S. Macomb Street. An affidavit of identity, also available at these same locations, also must be filed with the county by July 26 at 4 pm.

A City Charter Commission is charged with drafting a proposed “Charter” for the yet-to-be-formed city, which is based on a template provided by the State of Michigan. It will be customized for Manchester by the commission, which will be elected by village electors in November. The commission must meet within 10 days after the election to begin the process.

The process of writing the charter is anticipated to take approximately 90 days, and then it will be submitted to the Governor for approval.

Once it receives governor’s approval, an election can be set for the village electors to approve both the charter and a new City Council. The new Council may be made up of members of the current Village Council, new candidates, or a combination of both.

If you are interested in contributing to Manchester’s municipal future, consider whether participating on the City Charter Commission might be a good way to start! For more information on the process, see the Citizens Advisory Committee’s Frequently Asked Questions and Final Report, both of which are available from the home page on the village website at www.vil-manchester.org.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.