Some East Lansing officials are campaigning to change the city’s governing document.
Nine individuals serving on various East Lansing community boards sent a letter to the city council asking them to put a charter revision question before voters. Approval of the question could allow residents to form a commission to draft changes to the structure and rules of the city’s government.
The group said the city is overdue for a charter update.
"East Lansing has seen numerous and substantial changes over the last several years," the letter reads. "The city has established an income tax, gone through a global pandemic, and has increased its focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. With so much change, we believe that it is necessary and proper for the city to consider if the current Charter is sufficiently meeting the city’s needs."
Adam DeLay, a signatory of the letter, is chair of the parks and Recreation Advisory Commission and a former candidate for the East Lansing City Council. He said the group's message was inspired by neighboring Lansing, where voters recently approved updating their governing charter.
“What if we were to take a look under the hood of our City Charter and try to identify places where there could be improvements,” DeLay said.
East Lansing's current charter was written in the 1940s, though it has received several amendments since then.
A full revision has to be authorized by voters, and there are two ways the city can put it on the ballot: a City Council vote or a citizen-led petition.
In this year's November election, East Lansing voters rejected two charter amendments to expand the council and shift the group's swearing-in date while approving a question to support ranked-choice voting.
DeLay said a charter review would give residents more power to debate those proposals and decide how they want their local government to function.
“The question is, are we working with a City Charter that no longer fits the needs of our community?" DeLay said. "Have we outgrown that charter?”
DeLay said possible changes could include removing gendered language in the charter, codifying new city boards and adjusting how the city runs its elections.
A review commission would likely take years to enact changes and the revision would likely incur additional costs on the city as commission members would need to receive a salary.
DeLay said he expects those costs would be low.
"I think when you're talking about something as important as your city's founding documents, individuals aren't going to be interested in serving on that simply for the compensation. It's because they care about their community," he said.
The group is asking the City Council to put a charter revision question on the ballot next year.
