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Saline City officials say a state constitutional amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot will highjack the Michigan's democratic tradition of “majority rules.”
At its Sept. 10 meeting, Saline City Council voted 7-0 to pass a resolution supporting a “no” vote on Proposal 5, also known as the “super-minority” constitutional amendment.
The amendment, backed by the anti-tax Michigan Alliance for Prosperity group, would end the simple majority vote on tax issues in Lansing and require two third of the Michigan House and Senate to approve tax increases. Proponents say the measure would make taxation the measure of last resort and improve Michigan’s competitiveness in the global economy.
Opponents, including the city and the Michigan Municipal League, see it as a threat to local government and local taxpayers.
Speaking to the issue at the request of Mayor Gretchen Driskell, City Manager Todd Campbell said allows as few as 13 legislators to block legislation.
“Since 1963, Michigan has had majority rule. With this proposal, out of both houses, even if 110 members of the House and 25 Senators voted for a tax increase, 13 Senators could block it,” Campbell said, adding that Gov. Rick Snyder is also against the proposal.
Campbell said the legislation would highjack the state’s democracy.
“From an operational standpoint, this could hinder the process in Lansing. And I don’t mean this as a hit on them, but Lansing has serious process problems as it is. They don’t need anything else hindering the process,” Campbell said.
Another concern, Campbell said, is that the measure would give more power to influential lobbyists and special interest groups, who’d only need to get to 13 senators to swing a vote.
Council member Dean Girbach said he thinks the current system is a more democratic approach.
“We can elect to vote someone out of office if we choose. I think that’s a more appropriate approach and more democratic approach,” he said.
Mayor Driskell said several states are utilizing a similar system and that it has not proven effective.
The resolution, moved by council member David Rhoads and seconded by James Roth, was approved by a 6-0 vote.
According to the resolution, only seven other states have the provision in their constitution. One state, Mississippi, is the poorest in the nation, while another, Nevada, has the nation’s highest unemployment rate, according to the resolution. The resolution also states that California, which has a similar law, has failed to balance its budget on time 16 times in 20 years because of partisan gridlock made worse by the law.
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