Ortonville- A change to the village council election schedule could save the village $2,600 per election and increase voting for local officials.
The proposed change would also extend the terms of Council President Ken Quisenberry and councilmembers Harold Batten, Kay Green and Melanie Nivelt by 14 months. Their terms were due to end in September 2009 and would instead stretch to November 2010.
A public hearing to consider a resolution changing the election schedule will be at 7 p.m., Oct. 13, at the township offices, 395 Mill St., in conjunction with the village council’s regularly scheduled meeting.
?(A change) would postpone our election by 14 months in order to become in sync with the township elections,? said Quisenberry. ‘We would hold them together instead of at separate times. It’s a statewide trend in an effort to streamline the voting process, so voters aren’t always going to the polls in erratic fashion. They could go once and vote for all the positions.?
Currently, the village has stand-alone elections the first Tuesday after the second Monday of September in odd-numbered years. If the resolution is approved, the council would have their elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years, synchronized with township, school board, state and national elections.
Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson estimates such a move would save the village $2,600 per stand-alone election.
‘If they piggyback with the township, the total per election cost to the village will be $25,? she said.
‘It will also increase voter turnout because it’s convenient… Less people vote for the village officials than the president, but you will still have more people vote than if it was a stand-alone election. It’s a win-win-win. Less cost, more turn-out and more convenient. I don’t know of any downside, personally.?